A panel comprised of three-quarters of the House Republican caucus released a budget proposal on Wednesday that would raise the Social Security retirement age—cutting benefits across the board—while further privatizing Medicare and slashing taxes for the rich, a plan that Democratic lawmakers and progressive advocacy groups said is a clear …
Read More »‘This Isn’t the End’: McCarthy Takes Aim at Social Security, Medicare After Debt Ceiling Deal
After securing a debt ceiling agreement that caps federal spending and threatens food aid for hundreds of thousands of poor adults, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made clear Wednesday that Republicans are not finished targeting the nation’s safety net programs—and signaled a coming effort by the GOP to slash Social Security …
Read More »Biden Makes Case For Medicaid Expansion In Florida; Protects Social Security
Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix Two days after delivering a spirited State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., President Joe Biden appeared in Florida on Thursday before an intimate crowd at the University of Tampa, where he pledged to protect Social Security and Medicare and push for Medicaid expansion for …
Read More »Biden White House Blasts Manchin-GOP Push for Social Security ‘Death Panel’
Jake Johnson, Common Dreams The Biden White House made clear on Monday that it opposes the creation of commissions to devise changes—and possible cuts—to Social Security and other U.S. trust funds, rejecting an idea embraced by Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin amid a dangerous standoff over the nation’s debt …
Read More »House GOP Says Pentagon Budget Is Safe—But Social Security and Medicare Aren’t
Republicans who have pledged to use their narrow majority in the House to pursue steep federal spending cuts have sent a clear message in recent days: The bloated Pentagon budget is safe, but Social Security, Medicare, and other key government programs are not. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) expressed that sentiment …
Read More »Here’s When Drug Prices Will Start To Decrease For Medicare Recipients
Casey Quinlan, Georgia Recorder Starting next month, a $35 cap on insulin prices will go into effect for millions of Medicare recipients. The lower pricing is one of the first of several policy measures Americans will see in the coming months and years under the Inflation Reduction Act signed into …
Read More »A GOP Showdown Over The Debt Limit Could Grip Congress And The Nation Next Year
Jennifer Shutt, Florida Phoenix Republicans are eyeing the debt limit and government funding deadlines as a way to force Democrats to the negotiating table for spending cuts, should the GOP regain control of Congress following the midterm elections. Republicans unhappy about government spending could move to shut down the government, …
Read More »Biden Vows to Fight Any GOP Attack on Social Security, Medicare
President Joe Biden pledged Friday to defend Social Security and Medicare from Republican attacks but rejected calls to support a full repeal of the debt ceiling, an arbitrary federal borrowing limit that the GOP is threatening to use as leverage to enact spending cuts. “The Republican leadership in Congress has …
Read More »‘Believe Him,’ Say Critics, as McCarthy Signals GOP Plan to Attack Social Security, Medicare
Progressives on Tuesday warned that U.S. voters should take House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans at their word when they threaten to enact cuts to Social Security and Medicare despite the cost-of-living crisis that already has Americans struggling to afford healthcare and other essentials. In an interview with …
Read More »Dems Say Bill to Kill Price Controls Shows GOP ‘Wants You… to Spend More’ on Meds
Democratic leaders on Friday blasted a new Republican bill that would roll back modest prescription drug pricing reforms that U.S. President Joe Biden recently signed into law. Republican Sens. James Lankford (Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.), and Marco Rubio (Fla.) introduced a bill that would repeal the medication-related …
Read More »House GOP Agenda Signals Push for Social Security and Medicare Cuts
Jake Johnson, Common Dreams House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled parts of a policy agenda that indicates the party would push for cuts to Social Security and Medicare if it retakes the majority in November. A one-page summary of the agenda that House Republicans, led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), …
Read More »Medicare Prescription Drug Negotiation Plan Advanced By Senate Democrats
by Jennifer Shutt, Florida Phoenix U.S. Senate Democrats have reached a tentative agreement to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs in the Medicare program, the first step in passing a long-stalled package that’s expected to include tax and climate change provisions as well. The deal, brokered between Senate Majority Leader …
Read More »Democrats Announce Deal On Prescription Drug Pricing
On Tuesday, Congressional Democrats announced they had agreed on a plan to overhaul prescription drug pricing in the country. “Fixing prescription drug prices consistently has been a top issue for Americans year after year,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference. “We’ve heard this from people across …
Read More »Democratic Lawmakers Move To Lower Medicare Eligibility Age To 60
Democratic lawmakers are pushing to pass legislation to lower the Medicare eligibility age to sixty. The current eligibility age is sixty-five. The Improving Medicare Coverage Act — led by Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Conor Lamb, D-Pa.; Joe Neguse, D-Colo.; and Susan Wild, D-Pa.; Haley Stevens, D-Mich.; and Debbie Dingell, D-Mich. — would …
Read More »Social Security Benefits Will Have To Be Cut By 2034 Unless Congress Acts
On Tuesday, the Social Security and Medicare Trustees released an annual report that details the program’s long-term funding shortfall and how benefits will have to be cut by 2034 unless Congress acts. The report attributes the program’s issues to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recession. Data from the Census …
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