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  • Immigration Proposals Would Add Billions In New Costs

    However, it differs from the House version which means it must go back to the House to see if it will agree with the changes that were made. .Sources: Options For Reducing The Deficit: 2014 to 2023, Congressional Budget Office, November 2013. .For years, workers were told to rely on a combination of Social Security, workplace pensions and their personal retirement savings. However, over the past 30 years or so the landscape of retirement savings has dramatically shifted. Traditional workplace pensions have shifted to 401(k) plans while some have been eliminated altogether, and the recent financial and housing collapse left many households with dramatically less value in homes and retirement funds. Partly as a result of these changes, many baby boomers and other future retirees are facing greater "risks" of not having enough to live on in their retirements. According to the Center for Retirement Research, 51 percent of households are "at risk" of not being able to maintain their pre-retirement standard of living. … Continued

  • Congressional Corner July 2017

    Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, stated earlier this week, "What I hope to be able to do is keep the government open, to avoid a government shutdown, to do no harm, and to be as boring as possible." The House planned to vote on a package that would simply extend current funding levels through mid-December on Thursday, and the Senate was set on taking it up next week. .Millions of middle-class Americans face a looming retirement crisis as a result of growing wealth inequality. Middle class wages have declined and the minimum wage has lost more than 30% of its value since 196Today, most Americans have less than ,000 in savings, and only one out of five workers has a traditional defined benefit pension with guaranteed income in retirement. .TSCL encourages its members and supporters to attend these events and to ask questions of their elected officials about important Social Security and Medicare issues, like the following four… … Continued

Commodities and Services Pricing Survey, an establishment survey of businesses selling goods and services to consumers, used to provide the price data for the CPI .Analysts are warning about potential drug shortages, but there is a system for checking whether there really is a shortage, using reported shortage tools on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. You can look up current drug shortages at :https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/drugshortages/dsp_SearchResults.cfm .Someone else is working using your Social Security number: If you still can't determine the cause of Social Security's overpayment claim, check your earnings record with the Social Security Administration for accuracy. Identity theft is soaring and earnings from persons unknown may show up on your work record without your knowledge. It's important to correct your record if this happens to you. If this is the case, in addition to checking your records with Social Security, you will need to contact the IRS. Otherwise, the IRS may send you a notice stating that you failed to report everything you earned and that you might owe taxes. .This legislation would require the Federal Trade Commission to update its website to include a searchable database of scams targeting seniors. It would have to work with media outlets and law enforcement to distribute the information. The FTC also would be required to send Congress a report with policy recommendations to prevent scams targeting older individuals, especially during national emergencies. .Deficit hawks on Capitol Hill agree that the current inflation index is inaccurate, but instead of adopting a method that actually measures seniors' spending, many have been advocating for an index that would further trim COLAs. The "chained" CPI has been lauded by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle – including President Obama – as a small technical correction that would factor in the substitution that occurs when the prices of certain goods increase. However, since medical care – a major expense for seniors – cannot be substituted for something cheaper, this index would unfairly affect them. After ten years, adopting the "chained" CPI would result in an monthly benefit cut for the average retired couple, and that loss would continue to compound. .My prescription for Lantus and blood pressure medicine has skyrocketed recently. When I called Humana, they said they are dealing with Covid-19, and costs have increased. The new price is at a level that makes it impossible for me to afford the medicine I need. I don't know what to do now. Any help is appreciated. — Robert N. FL .The abrupt and severe contraction in the U.S. economy caused by the coronavirus has far-reaching consequences for Social Security. Twenty million workers filed claims for unemployment between March 15, 2020 and April 17, 2020, a level that has not been seen since the Great Depression. Both the wide-scale shutdowns and layoffs, as well as provisions of the coronavirus CARES Act stimulus legislation significantly reduce the anticipated amount of payroll taxes flowing into Social Security this year. .Support Grows for Key Bill .Should Congress approve the ,000 Lump-Sum Settlement, you would continue to receive your monthly Social Security benefit without any adjustment. However, as the legislation is written, you will have a choice of annual additional lump-sum payments OR an increased monthly check.