Social Security North Carolina

Benefit Cuts Would Be Tough Sell for Democrats

Cutting benefits for entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare in a deficit- reduction deal between President Barack Obama and Republicans would jeopardize Democratic support likely needed for House approval, Democrats say.

Democratic lawmakers said House Speaker John Boehner , an Ohio Republican, needs to heed their party’s concerns about preserving Social Security and Medicare benefits to pass a package that Republicans are demanding as a condition for raising the government’s $14.3 trillion borrowing limit.

Obama plans to meet with congressional leaders from both parties tomorrow. The session will help determine whether a basis for agreement exists on a deficit-cutting plan of as much as $4 trillion.

Republicans have insisted on no tax increases in the plan, though some leaders have signaled a willingness to consider a Democratic proposal to close some tax loopholes. A division among Republicans, who control the House, would force Boehner to rely on some Democratic votes to pass a deal in the chamber.

“As we continue to proceed down the path, the more it seems the speaker is telegraphing that he doesn’t have the votes, and he’s going to need the votes of the Democrats in the minority to deliver on what he wants to do,” Representative Xavier Becerra, a California Democrat, told reporters after a House Democratic caucus yesterday in Washington . “Don’t expect that Democrats will support balancing a budget on the backs of seniors and children and the disabled.”

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, told reporters his colleagues were “very strong that Social Security beneficiaries not be hit in order to get any Democratic votes for the results.”

The discussions among Obama and congressional leaders have included a proposal to curb the growth of entitlement programs through a change in the way the government measures inflation, which would reduce future annual benefit increases. The resistance from Democratic lawmakers to tampering with the benefits adds another complication to prospects for a deal that would lead to a debt-limit increase by Aug. 2, action the Treasury Department says is needed to avert a default on the nation’s financial obligations.

Boehner acknowledged the difficulties ahead even if a deficit-reduction deal is reached with the White House.

“We’ve got to have a bill that can pass through the House” and the Democratic-controlled Senate, he said yesterday. “This is a Rubik’s Cube we haven’t quite worked out yet.

Senator Bernie Sanders: Social Security Proposal is “A Piece of ...

By Richard Thayer

If the President or an official in the White House “misspoke” earlier this week concerning plans to cut Social Security benefits in an effort to appease Republicans, they had better find the nearest microphone and set the record straight.

And fast.

Really fast.

Because a lot of people are hopping mad over the mere thought of Social Security, along with Medicare and Medicaid, may be cut in a possible deal to get the Republicans to agree to restore pre-Bush taxes to the nation’s wealthiest citizens.

If there were such a thing as an anger meter to gauge people’s emotions, the anger over proposed COLA cuts to Social Security would register right up there with people’s feelings over the Casey Anthony verdict.

They are really hot.

And no one is hotter than Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). On Friday he told CrooksandLiars.com : “Elections matter. What candidates say when they’re running for president matters. The president made a promise to the American people and he should keep that promise.”

Reportedly, Social Security’s COLA is on the table as a bargaining chip to get Republicans to agree to restoring pre-Bush taxes to the nation’s rich.

Under the White House proposal, after 10 years the average Social Security benefit would be cut by $600 a year. Then, after 20 years, it would be cut by $1,000 a year. Today, the annual benefit is $13,000.

As every Social Security recipient will tell you, the COLA today is already too low because it doesn’t accurately reflect the cost of living of senior adults, especially in the area of health care.

At Friday’s news conference, Senator Sanders told reporters, “…if they bring from the Senate a piece of crap which really comes down heavy on working families, and the elderly, and the sick, and the children, and they expect me to matter-of-factly vote for it, they have another thing coming.”

As you can see, Senator Sanders isn’t one to mince words.

A recent Pew poll shows that 60 percent of the American people want Congress to keep their mitts off of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

“The public’s desire for fundamental change doesn’t mean it supports reductions in the benefits provided by Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. Relatively few are willing to see benefit cuts as part of the solution, regardless of whether the problem being addressed is the federal budget deficit, state budget shortfalls or the financial viability of the entitlement programs.

Congressional Record

Social security act amendments of 1949, Hearings before the Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, Eighty-first Congress, first session, on H.R. 2892[-2893] ... and other bills

2004 Social Security Explained

The Complete Guide to Planning Your Estate in North Carolina, A Step-By-Step Plan to Protect Your Assets, Limit Your Taxes, and Ensure Your Wishes Are Fulfilled for North Carolina Residents

Launching Social Security, a capture-and-record account, 1935-1937