Social Security recipients could face 'a rapid increase of wait times' to receive benefits if Congress fails to increase funding for the program, according to the union representing its workers

• House Republicans are proposing funding cuts for the Social Security Administration.
• The American Federation of Government Employees warned of the consequences of doing so.
• The union said Social Security recipients could face longer wait times to receive benefits.

As Republicans start laying out their proposals for what spending to cut next year, Social Security Administration employees are warning that their budget could mean longer wait times and potentially dire circumstances for beneficiaries. 

In a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, the American Federation of Government Employees — a union representing hundreds of thousands of government employees — said that the GOP's proposed funding levels would "devastate the agency's ability to serve the American public."