The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare implores members of Congress who say they support Social Security and Medicare to reject the Fiscal Commission Act of 2023, which is scheduled for a markup in the House Budget Committee on Thursday.
“A fiscal commission is designed to give individual members of Congress political cover for cutting Americans’ earned benefits. Any changes to Social Security and Medicare should go through regular order and not be relegated to a commission unaccountable to the public and rushed through the Congress. This bill does not deserve a markup or a vote — or, frankly, to see the light of day.” – Max Richtman, president and CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
If the aim of a fiscal commission is to address the federal debt, members of Congress should be aware that Social Security and Medicare Part A are fully self-funded and do not contribute to the debt. The biggest drivers of the debt are ‘tax expenditures’ – giveaways to the wealthy and large corporations like the Trump/GOP tax cuts of 2017 that Republicans insist be extended.
If the aim of a fiscal commission is to shore up Social Security’s finances, members should support legislation introduced by Democrats which would keep the program’s trust fund solvent without cutting benefits — by asking the wealthy to contribute their fair share.
President Biden rightly called commissions of this kind ‘death panels’ for Social Security and Medicare. We urge members of Congress who claim to champion these vital programs for seniors to reject the Fiscal Commission Act of 2023.
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Media inquiries contact:
Walter Gottlieb