{"id":2391433,"date":"2025-01-16T20:29:03","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T01:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-rep-pulls-out-his-phone-during-hearing-to-illustrate-big-problem-with-social-security\/"},"modified":"2025-01-16T20:30:25","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T01:30:25","slug":"gop-rep-pulls-out-his-phone-during-hearing-to-illustrate-big-problem-with-social-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-rep-pulls-out-his-phone-during-hearing-to-illustrate-big-problem-with-social-security\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP Rep. Pulls Out His Phone During Hearing to Illustrate Big Problem with Social Security"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgop-rep-pulls-out-his-phone-during-hearing-to-illustrate-big-problem-with-social-security%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2391433&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>During a recent congressional hearing, Rep. \u2063clay Higgins, a Republican from louisiana, confronted former Social Security Management Commissioner martin O&#8217;Malley regarding the agency\u2019s telework policies, wich Higgins argued\u2064 contribute to inefficiencies.O&#8217;Malley,who\u200d previously\u2063 served as the governor of Maryland and is now\u200d seeking the\u200d chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee,defended the telework arrangements made with \u2063the American Federation of Government Employees aimed at <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">benefiting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-says-biden-administration-violated-labor-rules-with-new-transgender-policy\/\" title=\"Union Says Biden Administration Violated Labor Rules With New Transgender Policy\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">social security<\/a> employees<\/a><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To illustrate the difficulties \u200dfaced by seniors trying \u2063to\u200b access assistance,Higgins\u2063 called the Social Security hotline during the \u200bhearing,enduring a\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-details-matter-bidens-response-to-baby-formula-crisis-has-been-a-walking-train-wreck\/\" title=\"If Details Matter, Biden\u2019s Response To Baby Formula Crisis Has Been A Walking Train Wreck\">lengthy wait time<\/a> of \u200calmost 90 minutes. He emphasized the frustration\u2063 of older citizens who \u2063often need direct,\u2064 personal support rather than\u2063 prolonged hold times, stating that they typically only \u2063have access to telephones and may struggle with navigating \u200bcomplex systems.<\/p>\n<p>Higgins criticized the telework model\u200c for \u200bexacerbating inefficiency within government services, suggesting that in-person \u2062oversight may enhance productivity, as seen in the private sector. He called for a reevaluation of federal bureaucratic practices\u2064 to improve responsiveness to\u200d the needs of elderly constituents who rely on\u2064 timely assistance.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, confronted former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O&rsquo;Malley Thursday over telework policies at the agency that he says enables inefficiency, and he had quite a powerful way to prove his point.<\/p>\n<p>O&rsquo;Malley, the former Maryland governor and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate who is now seeking the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, testified before lawmakers and <a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/OMalley-Written-Testimony.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blamed<\/a> Congress for cutting staff levels at the agency.<\/p>\n<p>But a hot topic during the hearing was telework, especially since O&rsquo;Malley oversaw a new contract with the American Federation of Government Employees to ensure that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/lying-trump-wants-cut-social-security-dems-rush-bill-will-cut-benefits-need-biden-sign-trump-arrives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Security<\/a> employees have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-triggers-big-government-union-simple-message-working\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">telework options<\/a> for the next four years, according to a report from <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/5087701-federal-telework-policy-hearing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Higgins chose a rather memorable way to show the dangers of that policy.<\/p>\n<p>The lawmaker <a href=\"https:\/\/clayhiggins.house.gov\/2025\/01\/16\/higgins-fights-for-seniors-blasts-no-show-bureaucrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dialed<\/a> into the Social Security help line during the hearing, and by the time he had a chance to ask questions of O&rsquo;Malley, he had been waiting for a response for nearly 90 minutes.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is what our elders have to listen to,&rdquo; he said after holding up his cell phone, which was still on hold. &ldquo;The reason our elders call for help is because they need help, not because they want to listen to elevator music. They want to talk to a human being.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Higgins described the nightmare that he endured while calling the hotline.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The first five minutes of this hour and a half, Mr. Chairman, was instructions to get to various websites, which our elders have difficulty doing. I have difficulty doing it,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128293;&#128293;&#128293;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Clay Higgins (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepClayHiggins?\">@RepClayHiggins<\/a>) called the social security line during the hearing today.<\/p>\n<p>He was still on hold after 1 HOUR &amp; 28 MINUTES!<\/p>\n<p>But Martin O&rsquo;Malley said telework was increasing quality of care &#129300; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lTEZ0jSOZ3\">pic.twitter.com\/lTEZ0jSOZ3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GOPoversight\/status\/1879612869999767804?\">January 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our elders are frequently confused and alone and scared. They don&rsquo;t have &hellip; laptops and apps and things. They have a telephone. They want to talk to a human being,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/congressman-tries-examine-trump-shooters-body-makes-disturbing-discovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Higgins<\/a> repeated.<\/p>\n<p>Ironically, those who would rather set up an appointment and travel to an office to speak with an actual person, which is also often not easy for seniors, are told to call the hotline anyway.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Listen to this. America, pay attention to what&rsquo;s happening to our elders,&rdquo; Higgins continued. &ldquo;If you need in-person help, you must first make an appointment, and you make an appointment on the telephone. You know who answers the phone? Nobody.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This display shows how government telework only makes the problem of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/elon-viveks-first-doge-move-leaves-94-fed-workers-deep-trouble\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">government inefficiency<\/a> much worse.<\/p>\n<p>Much of corporate America is currently asking employees to return to the office, because even the sharpest professionals in the private sector are simply more efficient when they are managed in the office, at least in most cases.<\/p>\n<p>How much more must that be true of employees in the public sector?<\/p>\n<p>Our federal government has absorbed many responsibilities over the past century, from educating our youth to taking care of our grandparents in their old age.<\/p>\n<p>The consequences of a bureaucratic labyrinth running the country are 80-year-olds waiting for 90 minutes or more on the phone to even begin handling issues that directly impact their well-being.<\/p>\n<p>We need to severely downsize the federal bureaucracy. But in the meantime, we can insist on basic standards for the bureaucrats therein.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, challenged former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O&#8217;Malley on Thursday regarding the agency&#8217;s telework policies, which he claims lead to inefficiency. To illustrate his argument, Higgins made a notable demonstration during the hearing. O&#8217;Malley, who previously served as Maryland&#8217;s governor and ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and is now vying for the chair of the Democratic National Committee, testified that Congress was responsible for reducing staff at the agency. A significant topic of discussion was telework; O&#8217;Malley had recently signed a contract with the American Federation of Government Employees to provide Social Security employees with telework options for four years.<\/p>\n<p>Higgins highlighted potential issues with this policy by calling into the Social Security help line during the hearing and waiting nearly 90 minutes before he could ask questions. He held up his phone to show that he was still on hold and remarked, &#8220;This is what our elders have to listen to.&#8221; He emphasized that seniors call for assistance because they need help\u2014not because they want to hear elevator music\u2014and expressed frustration over how difficult it can be for them to navigate automated instructions when all they want is to speak with a person.<\/p>\n<p>Higgins pointed out that many elderly individuals are often confused or scared and lack access to technology like laptops or apps; they simply have phones and wish to communicate directly with someone. He criticized how those needing in-person assistance must first make an appointment via phone but often struggle just getting through due to long wait times.<\/p>\n<p>He urged Americans to pay attention: &#8220;If you need in-person help, you must first make an appointment&#8230; You know who answers? Nobody.&#8221; This situation underscores how government telework exacerbates inefficiencies within public services.<\/p>\n<p>As many companies push employees back into offices due to increased efficiency observed in person management\u2014something likely even more applicable in public sector roles\u2014Higgins argued that bureaucratic complexities result in seniors facing long waits just for basic support related directly affecting their lives. He called for significant reductions in federal bureaucracy while advocating for essential standards within it<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2391434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Higgins-Social-Security.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34558,6203,33104,11458],"class_list":["post-2391433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-congressional-hearing","tag-gop","tag-social-security","tag-technology"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Higgins-Social-Security.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2391433"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2391437,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391433\/revisions\/2391437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2391434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2391433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2391433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2391433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}