Fix The Debt has a problem. The bipartisan lobby group has set out to work on big, compromise legislation – but what’s it supposed to do when the political system seems incapable of passing even little bits and pieces of it?
Through a series of high-level meetings with allied centrist organizations in Washington, Fix The Debt is coming to the conclusion that it must also fix Congress. Last month, the nonpartisan group convened the first of these meetings at its office here, and sources present described the discussion as one on how to maintain influence on Capitol Hill in an environment where lawmakers seldom even debate legislation, let alone pass it.
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![Earlier this week, Members of Congress and allies met to discuss Social Security and the GOP Congress’ manufactured crisis.
““Seniors, I stand with you all the way [on Social Security].”
- Rep. Jan Schakowsky
“We are in a crisis right now. A...](https://64.media.tumblr.com/93d9258801da499ce7712598d0be22b4/tumblr_njo11hjqsI1qd3gmvo1_1280.jpg)
Earlier this week, Members of Congress and allies met to discuss Social Security and the GOP Congress’ manufactured crisis.
“Seniors, I stand with you all the way [on Social Security].”
- Rep. Jan Schakowsky“We are in a crisis right now. A retirement crisis. Not a Social Security crisis.” - Rep. Jan Schakowsky
“Stop manufacturing a crisis with the Social Security disability trust fund.”
- Senator Bernie Sanders“This week anyone earning a million dollars a year will have paid 100% of their payroll taxes for 2015.”
- Max Richtman
The 114th Congress will see many new faces after the 2014 midterms; however, the face of our nation’s middle class remains largely unchanged - they’re poorer, more diverse, getting older and facing a retirement crisis which threatens millions.
Read more by clicking here or the graphic above.
Through a series of high-level meetings with allied centrist organizations in Washington, Fix The Debt is coming to the conclusion that it must also fix Congress. Last month, the nonpartisan group convened the first of these meetings at its office here, and sources present described the discussion as one on how to maintain influence on Capitol Hill in an environment where lawmakers seldom even debate legislation, let alone pass it.
Further reading on Fix the Debt.
The next U.S. president and Congress will face a serious test: What to do, if anything, about the nation’s retirement crisis?
Americans aren’t saving nearly enough in their 401(k)s, while wide swaths of the workforce aren’t saving at all, because they don’t have access to a retirement plan. Social Security, meanwhile, faces a financial shortfall as the baby boomers enter retirement.
via Bloomberg.
Related Reading:
We agree, Congress should BOOST Social Security for all working Americans.
Do you agree? If you answered “yes”, then please sign our petition here.
U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan has been clear on where he wants to go after tax reform. Late last month he told a televised town hall meeting that Congress must cut “entitlements” to reduce the debt. Likewise, President Donald Trump recently said he wants to focus on “welfare reform” after tax legislation is signed into law.
And Senator Marco Rubio told a Politico conference last month: “We have to do two things. We have to generate economic growth which generates revenue, while reducing spending. That will mean instituting structural changes to Social Security and Medicare for the future.”
via Reuters.
Related Reading:
The president and his party in Congress are asking the poor, middle class, and elderly to pick up the tab for trillions of dollars in tax breaks that the super-rich and profitable corporations do not need.
- As if to confirm the warnings of seniors’ advocates, Republicans have signaled that their next targets after the tax bill are Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Read more from this article by clicking here.
Paul Ryan already eyeballing social safety net cuts
Speaker Paul Ryan is already talking about cutting entitlements such as Medicare, even before Congress finishes passing a tax plan.
Watch the full segment here via MSNBC.
Related Reading:
After Passing Senate Tax Bill, GOP to Target Seniors’ Earned Benefits.
- But the biggest poison pill for the elderly in this legislation is the existential threat it poses to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Boomers are crowding the retirement turnstiles just as safety nets may get a haircut from a Republican Congress fixated on an Obamacare repeal that could whack Medicare and Medicaid. And although President-elect Trump has defended entitlements, a key advisor once called for privatizing Social Security.
However, some conservatives in Congress insist that relief for programs like the Older Americans Act be paid for by cutting Medicare and Medicaid. This budgetary sleight-of-hand could trade partial relief for some seniors’ programs by cutting other essential health security programs like Medicare and Medicaid, thus further eroding the tenuous economic situation many older Americans face.
Max Richtman via Huffington Post.
The news can be tough for some to hear, but most private and government insurance plans don’t cover the cost of hearing aid devices.
It would take an act of Congress to change this, and that’s exactly what U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, is pushing for. Her first piece of legislation in Congress would allow Medicare to cover hearing aids.
via Detroit News.
Related News:
Seniors went to Capitol Hill earlier this month to tell Congress why their current #SocialSecurity benefits are inadequate. Boost Social Security Now! https://www.ncpssm.org/campaigns/boost-social-security-now/ @RepJohnLarson