Senate OKs Separate Social Security Agency

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Friday approved legislation that would make the Social Security Administration an independent agency, taking it out of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The separation would take effect on March 31, 1995, creating a new agency, among the largest in the federal government with a budget of $325 billion, 65,000 employees and 1,300 field offices.

The bill was approved on a voice vote and sent to the House, which is expected to add its endorsement and send the measure to the White House.

Supporters say making Social Security an independent agency will help restore public confidence in the government’s largest domestic program. They say the agency will become more visible, less vulnerable to budget cuts, and better insulated from partisan politics.