Social Security spends $700,000 on Phoenix conference

Taxpayers money hard at work...AGAIN. Was this 700,000 dollar escapade really necessary? I think the people involved in this conference should have their paycheck garnished to reimburse the taxpayers.

A Social Security Administration motivational management conference held at a high-end Valley resort last week cost $700,000, the SSA told the ABC15 Investigators.

Costs for the conference at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa included airfare, hotel entertainment, dancers, motivational speakers, and food, an administration official said.

A spokesperson outside the SSA's Phoenix office declined to comment.

www.abc15.com...


SSA Responds

The SSA has now sent a three-page letter to Congress about their 700-person conference held at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa.

The letter comes only days after the U.S. House Committee on Way and Means sent their own letter to Social Security, demanding the department turn over all records about the costs of the conference.

www.abc15.com...

The SSA letter

PDF File

Congress Reacts

On Thursday, the United States Senate Finance committee also requested the Inspector General audit the entire contracting process used by Social Security to select the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa for their conference.

"It's especially frustrating when you have people who truly are disabled who will wait years just to get their case heard and years more just to get a little help," said Congressman Brady. "When they see the government and the agency wasting their money like this, I know it makes them angry and I know it really frustrates them."

www.abc15.com...

Guess the SSA took a page from the CEO handbook on how to spend taxpayer's money on themselves.

Surprised that this doesn't bother anybody else.

UN freaking believable! Are you kidding me?

Boy, things are changing huh? BS