The U.S. Senate approved a broadly bipartisan bill early Saturday that would increase Social Security benefits for millions of Americans with pensions by ending two of the program’s policies in place for decades — the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset. The legislation, which would cost more than $195 …
Read More »House Republicans Propose Social Security and Medicare Overhaul in New Budget
Jimmy Williams A recent budget proposal by the Republican Study Committee, a group of influential House Republicans, outlines significant changes to Social Security and Medicare, hinting at future GOP governance strategies and setting the stage for potential policy clashes with President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party in the upcoming …
Read More »Senate Finance Chief Rips GOP’s ‘Backroom Scheme’ to Cut Social Security
Jake Johnson, Common Dreams The chair of the Senate Finance Committee said legislation advanced Thursday by the GOP-controlled House Budget Committee is a “backroom scheme” to cut Social Security and Medicare outside of the regular political process, a warning that came as Republicans signaled their intention to attach the bill …
Read More »Trump Hits Haley on Social Security, But Critics Note He’s No Better
Jon Queally, Common Dreams Whichever Republican emerges victorious in the party’s Iowa caucus on Monday and ultimately becomes the GOP nominee, defenders of Social Security want the voting public to know that not a single one of them can be trusted to defend what is considered the greatest anti-poverty program …
Read More »Presidential Candidates Largely Mum About Details On How To ‘save’ Social Security
Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder The winner of this year’s presidential election could very well be holding the reins when it comes time to address Social Security’s complicated financial situation. The program, which millions of retirees depend on for income stability, will see benefits cut by nearly a quarter in 2033 …
Read More »Higher Taxes On The Wealthy Would Bolster Social Security, Senate Dems Argue
Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder U.S. senators debated Wednesday how best to resolve a funding cliff within Social Security that will lead to a quarter reduction in benefits in about a decade, absent action from Congress. Democrats on the Budget Committee, led by Chair Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, called for …
Read More »House GOP Panel Releases Budget That Would ‘Destroy Social Security as We Know It’
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 »House Dems Announce Bill to Expand Social Security as GOP Default Threat Imperils Payments
Jake Johnson, Common Dreams A group of House Democrats on Tuesday began rolling out legislation to strengthen and expand Social Security as their Republican counterparts’ debt ceiling brinkmanship threatens to disrupt the program’s monthly payments, which keep millions of seniors and children across the U.S. out of poverty each year. …
Read More »Social Security Trustees Predict Benefit Cuts In 2033 Without Congressional Action
Jennifer Shutt, Florida Phoenix Social Security will no longer be able to pay full benefits in 2033, a year earlier than previously expected, according to a report released Friday. The updated projections, in the annual trustee report, mean that without action to stabilize the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, Social …
Read More »Sanders-Warren Plan Would Tax the Rich to Increase Social Security by $2,400 a Year
Kenny Stancil, Common Dreams As congressional Republicans threaten to cut Social Security and other key federal programs, progressive Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren led a group of lawmakers Monday in unveiling legislation that would increase Social Security benefits by at least $200 per month and prolong the program’s solvency …
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 »‘Republicans Keep Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud’: Pence Calls for Privatizing Social Security
Jake Johnson Former Vice President Mike Pence, a possible 2024 presidential candidate, has voiced support for a Social Security privatization scheme that the George W. Bush administration unsuccessfully pushed nearly two decades ago. In a closed-door event Thursday hosted by the National Association of Wholesale-Distributors, a corporate trade group, Pence …
Read More »Justifying Attack on Social Security, House Republican Claims People ‘Want to Work Longer’
Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Republican Rep. Rick Allen of Georgia suggested last week that he would support raising the Social Security retirement age—a policy change that would slash benefits across the board—because people have approached him and said they “actually want to work longer.” Confronted by an advocate in the …
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