Bill to Repeal Social Security WEP & GPO Advances Out of Committee

A bill to repeal two largely unpopular rules affecting some public sector workers’ ability to collect Social Security benefits was reported out of the House Ways & Means committee today. The Social Security Fairness Act was introduced by Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), and currently has more than 290 cosponsors from both parties.
2022-09-21T09:50:26-04:00September 20th, 2022|Categories: Congress, Democrats, Rep. John Larson, Republicans, Social Security|

Ron Johnson’s Plan is Part of GOP Assault on Seniors’ Earned Benefits

Social Security and Medicare defenders often say that the public doesn’t understand the threat that Republicans pose to these programs.  Indeed, many Republicans proclaim support for both while pushing proposals to undermine them.  But lately it seems as if Republicans are going out of their way to lay bare their intentions – or, as some put it, “to say the quiet part out loud.” Earlier this week, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) said during an interview that Social Security and Medicare should no longer be mandatory spending programs
2022-08-05T14:24:23-04:00August 5th, 2022|Categories: Congress, Democrats, Medicare, Republicans, Senator Mitt Romney, Social Insurance, Social Security|

Republican Roundtable Revives Wrongheaded Ideas for Social Security

GOP members of the House Ways and Means Committee held an all-Republican roundtable on the future of the program on June 29.  That’s a little like holding an all-Red Sox roundtable on the future of the Yankees. Republicans have spent four decades devising ways to undermine Social Security – including their triad of terrible ideas: raising the retirement age, means-testing benefits, and privatizing the program
2022-07-05T16:10:01-04:00July 1st, 2022|Categories: Democrats, privatization, Rep. John Larson, Republicans, Social Security|

Social Security Trust Fund Projected to Endure for an Additional Year, Trustees Say

Social Security’s trust fund received a one-year reprieve in the 2022 Social Security Trustees report, released late Thursday afternoon.  The Trustees project that the combined disability and retirement trust fund will become depleted in 2035 – one year later than predicted last time – if Congress doesn’t take preventative action. When the trust fund becomes insolvent, the Trustees say, Social Security will only be able to pay 80% of scheduled benefits.

SSA Woefully Underfunded, Struggling to Provide Customer Service, Witnesses Tell Congress

Witness after witness at Tuesday’s Congressional hearing on Social Security Administration (SSA) customer service testified that the agency is in dire need of additional resources in order to properly serve the public.  The hearing was held by the House Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee, chaired by Rep. John Larson (D-CT), with testimony from a variety of witnesses from SSA and advocacy groups. 

What Does the President’s Budget Mean for Seniors?

There’s encouraging news for seniors in President Biden’s FY2023 budget, even though it does not contain everything that advocates for older Americans had hoped.  The budget, which now will be submitted to Congress, includes crucial funding for services that seniors rely upon – from the operation of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to nutrition programs under the Older Americans Act.

Seniors’ Programs in Jeopardy if Republicans Retake Majority

Any older voters inclined to put the GOP back in control of the House and Senate in November’s elections might well remember what the Republicans have long wanted to do to their earned benefits.  As if to provide that very reminder, Senator Rick Scott, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, released a plan last week that would terminate Social Security and Medicare.

The Connection Between Social Security and Black History Month

On the surface, Social Security may not seem to be a relevant topic for Black History Month. But it is. Social Security has helped provide Americans with basic financial security for generations of retirees, the disabled and their families.  It has been especially beneficial to Black Americans – whose average earnings and retirement savings are lower than their white counterparts’.
2022-02-12T17:33:05-04:00February 11th, 2022|Categories: Social Security|
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