Rep. DeFazio on the cuts to Social Security COLAs/Chained CPI.
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Max Richtman Discusses the President’s Budget and Chained CPI on Fox News:
NCPSSM President and CEO, Max Richtman discusses the President’s Budget and the Chained CPI on Fox News. The Chained CPI is a Social Security benefit cut affecting seniors, veterans, and the disabled.
“If news reports today are correct, President Obama will soon renege on his commitment to keep Social Security out of the deficit debate, ignoring his campaign promise to millions of Americans that he would protect vital middle class programs like Social Security. By including a proposal in his 2014 budget to change the current cost of living allowance formula to a stingier and less accurate Chained CPI, the President has suggested an immediate benefit cut of $130 per year for the typical 65-year old retiree that would grow exponentially to a $1,400 cut after 30 years of retirement.
Contrary to the political spin, this chained CPI proposal isn’t a “tweak” or an “adjustment,” it’s designed to cut benefits and raises taxes, largely on the poor and middle class, totaling $208 billion over ten years. $127.2 billion of those benefits cuts come from Social Security with about $24 billion coming from VA benefits and civilian and military retirement pay cuts. Seniors will have received an average COLA of 1.3% over 4 years with no increase in two of those years. Arguing that is too generous shows how out of touch Washington is with the real-world economic realities facing average Americans. Adopting the chained CPI is nothing more than a political sleight of hand targeting our nation’s middle class and poor.
This budget is also reported to include more means testing in Medicare and less than half the new revenue requested in earlier budget negotiations. The President’s budget is not the balanced plan promised to Americans before November’s election and will leave millions of middle-class families in even worse shape than they are today.”…Max Richtman, NCPSSM President/CEO
A very large amount of news articles regarding the President dropping Chained CPI from his budget:
Good News For Social Security Beneficiaries…For a Change. - Entitled to Know.
Obama drops Social Security cut. - The Hill.
Obama hands progressives a win on Social Security. - Chicago Sun-Times.
Obama budget proposal to drop Social Security cuts. - Reuters.
Feeling pressure from the left, Obama backs off of Social Security cuts in budget. - Washington Times.
Obama Budget to Delete Proposal to Limit Social Security. - Bloomberg.
White House drops chained Consumer Price Index for Social Security. - Daily Kos.
Obama’s Budget Drops Big Social Security Cut. - Fire Dog Lake.
GOP’s Social Security disaster: Conservatives just lost their chance to cut benefit. - Salon.
Chained CPI Out of Obama Budget! Victory for the New Populists. - Huffington Post.
How John Boehner Spared Democrats Their Own Civil War. - National Journal.
Chained CPI is being discussed in budget talks. Plain and simple, Chained CPI is a benefit cut to Social Security.
“Chained CPI” is a phrase floating around the Social Security debate that is important to current and future Social Security beneficiaries. Chained CPI would change the way cost of living adjustments (COLA) for Social Security and other other government programs are calculated. The COLA increase that is applied to Social Security, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income, and other programs is determined by the increase in the consumer price index (CPI). The formula has been changed over the years to attempt to make it a more realistic reflection of increases in the price of consumer goods, according to economists. The chained CPI assumes that when prices increase for one product, people substitute a less expensive product.
Chained CPI = Cut to Social Security. That simple.
The President’s budget plan ignores his statements made during and after the election that Social Security should not be used to cut the deficit and also his promises for a balanced fiscal approach that wouldn’t target middle-class Americans. In truth, President Obama’s budget will cut $127.2 billion in Social Security benefits by adopting the stingier Chained CPI and further means testing in Medicare. It also raises less than half the new revenue offered in previous proposals.
During the 2008 election, President Obama said if elected, he would not cut the cost-of-living adjustment. His new budget plan includes the Chained CPI which is an immediate benefit cut to Social Security. Mr. President, Social Security isn’t a deficit bargaining chip. Keep your promise to the American people
The President has put the Chained CPI in his 2014 Budget. We know it’s a benefit cut to Social Security. Here are a few myths about this stealth benefit cut.
Ultimately Members of Congress urged the President—and he’s agreed – to take the cost of living formula change called the Chained CPI out of his budget. The truth is, deficits are coming down and we didn’t have to target Social Security to do it.
Graphic above via SEIU.




