Boebert Clashes with SSA Official Over Teleworking Policies and Backlog

SSA Executive Counselor Oren 'Hank' McKnelly Defends Agency's Practices Amid Criticism

During a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Lauren Boebert criticized the Social Security Administration's teleworking policies, accusing the agency of allowing 'delinquent employees' to work from home.
Boebert questioned the increase in backlog for Social Security applicants, which has risen from 41,000 to over 107,000.
Oren 'Hank' McKnelly, an executive counselor for the SSA, responded that the agency has been historically underfunded and has seen an increase of more than 8 million beneficiaries over the past 10 years, while experiencing the lowest staffing levels ever at the end of fiscal 2022.
McKnelly explained that SSA employees are subject to the same performance management processes whether they're teleworking or working in the office, with systems in place to schedule, assign, and track workloads.
The exchange between Boebert and McKnelly went viral, with many criticizing Boebert's stance and praising McKnelly's response.