A new Congress has been freshly sworn into office and now the Democrats have control of the U.S. House of Representatives, which means Democrats get to chair committees and subcommittees as the majority party. The new members of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security were announced and U.S. Rep. John Larson (D-Connecticut) will be the new chair of the subcommittee. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (D-Massachusetts), the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee announced the membership of the new Social Security subcommittee January 16, 2019. The new members include Chair John Larson (D-Connecticut); Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-New Jersey); Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-California); Rep. Brian Higgins (D-New York); Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Michigan); Brad Schneider (D-Illinois); Tom Reed (R-New York); Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas); Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Georgia); Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas).
“Our subcommittee chairs’ expertise and enthusiasm will help us advance Democrats’ agenda and find solutions to some of our nation’s most pressing problems. With these members at the helm of our subcommittees, the American people can rest assured their priorities will receive much-needed attention and care,” Neal said.
Below is a description of the duties of the subcommittee.
The Subcommittee on Social Security handles all legislation and oversight related to the nation’s Social Security system, which provides earned benefits to retirees, severely disabled workers and their families, widows and widowers, and children who have lost a parent. It oversees the Social Security Trust Funds, the contributions American workers and their employers make to the funds, and the financial health of the system. It monitors the administration of Social Security, including customer service at the Social Security Administration’s nationwide network of field offices and toll-free telephone service; due process rights when applying for benefits; wait times for disability hearings; privacy protections and cybersecurity; and research and demonstration projects on retirement, disability, and related topics. Finally, the Subcommittee is involved when issues arise relating to the use, transmission, or protection of the Social Security number.
