Washington news in brief: Hill awards agency his Golden Fleece; State's 2011 speller takes in year's bee; new aide in Westerman's office

http://http//www.nwaonline.com/news/2018/jun/03/hill-awards-agency-his-golden-fleece-st/

By Frank E. Lockwood

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. French Hill has given his latest Golden Fleece Award to the Social Security Administration, criticizing the agency for overpaying beneficiaries of Social Security Disability Insurance and for opting, in many cases, not to seek repayment of the excess funds.

The Republican from Little Rock cited a 2016 report by the Government Accountability Office, which noted nearly $20 billion in overpayments between 2005 and 2014. The agency ultimately waived more than $2.4 billion of the amount it was due, rather than continuing to seek repayment, Hill said, citing the GAO reports.

In a letter to Nancy Berryhill, the administration's acting commissioner, Hill noted that the national debt is more than $20 trillion.

"Our federal agencies must be good stewards of our federal tax dollars, and I am committed to ensuring effective practices at our nation's federal agencies," Hill wrote.

The late U.S. Sen. William Proxmire, D-Wis., was the creator of the Golden Fleece Award, using it to highlight government spending that he considered wasteful.

After Hill's election to Congress in 2014, he resurrected the award.

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