The Social Security Administration told the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents over 48,000 of the agency's employees, that they should begin negotiating for furloughs now. The Agency says that due to what the budget will look like, they want to be prepared for what may happen. Furloughs may be a way for the agency to avoid layoffs, something that House Speaker John Boehner said that he was willing to take to reduce the deficit. The Social Security Administration sends checks to 53 million people every month.
See "Social Security Admin warns workers", Simmi Aujla, Politico, February 17, 2011