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Members of Congress are fond of saying that Social Security has many problems, chief among them an impending financial insolvency that will surely one day doom us all. But in the short term, the safety net for senior citizens has some real stinkers on its hands.

Literally.

The Smoking Gun obtained a reprimand issued to a Social Security Administration employee for his “uncontrollable flatulence.” In the letter, dated December 10, the employee’s supervisors at the agency’s headquarters outside Baltimore called the incessant farting had created an “intolerable” and “hostile” workplace and was considered “conduct unbecoming a federal officer.”

According to the redacted letter, the employee was first told his gassy emissions were causing a problem in May, and his supervisors offered to refer him to medical professionals. But by July, things had only gotten worse, the letter’s author writes:

Several of your coworkers complained about your flatulence. You said that you would try not to pass gas and that you would turn on your fan when it happens. I explained to you that turning on the fan would cause the smell to spread and worsen the air quality in the module.

The employee in question, who said during the inquiry that he is lactose intolerant, attempted to correct the problem with a purchase of Gas-X in August, but the farting only continued. Just in September and October alone, dozens of gassy incidents were reported:

The Smoking Gun also has what it reports is a photo of the employee and his wife posing with a person in a Pepe Le Pew costume.