In an interview this week, Rep. Charles Boustany (LA-3), who sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, revealed that the negotiators have hit a road block. They are struggling to come up with an offset for the bill, which could cost as much as 3.2 billion. Rep. Boustany said, "We're running out of time. We may end up with another one-year patch before it's all over. But, you know, we'll keep working, see if we can get to something." TSCL sincerely hopes that those on the three committees will successfully merge their bills to create a permanent, sustainable path forward. We will keep a close eye on the evolving negotiations in the coming weeks, and we will continue to urge lawmakers to repeal and replace the SGR. .While very little of the President's budget blueprint for fiscal 2015 will be considered by those in the House and Senate, it does serve as an important benchmark for lawmakers. Members of the House Budget Committee are expected to unveil a proposal of their own in the coming weeks. In a statement made early this week, Speaker John Boehner (OH-8) said that it will "promote opportunity, reform our tax code, and save our critical safety net programs." TSCL will continue to monitor the budget negotiations as they evolve, and we will provide updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. .We are raising our 6-year-old grandson under permanent court ordered guardianship to age 1However, we are not allowed an additional Social Security benefit for this child unless we adopt him. Seems unfair since we have the same responsibility to support him.. Frequently Asked Question: July 2021 Does Congress Plan to Fix An Impending Social Security Cut? .The most widely-discussed proposals to revamp Social Security include raising the eligibility age, making the benefit formula less generous, and reducing the Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). Reducing COLAs would impact the lifetime Social Security benefits of all current beneficiaries, as well as affecting future retirees. Under discussion is a proposal that would reduce COLAs by switching to a more slowly-growing, "chained" consumer price index to calculate the annual benefit boost. In fact the new tax law, recently did something similar. Indexing of income tax brackets, the standard deduction, and other parameters of the tax code for inflation was tied to a chained COLA. That means that people will pay higher taxes over time, as the standard deduction becomes less generous, while rising income would tend to push older taxpayers into higher brackets. .Want more information on the 2015 COLA Announcement? Read TSCL's latest press release .To cover the cost of CPI-E Act's adoption and to improve the solvency of the Social Security program, The Senior Citizens League supports an increase in the payroll tax cap. Nearly 75 percent of our supporters agree that the wealthiest Americans must begin contributing to the program more fairly, based on the results of our 2018 Senior Survey. Several bills now before Congress would increase or eliminate the payroll tax cap, and The Senior Citizens League will continue to advocate for their passage tirelessly in the months ahead. .On Friday, lawmakers in the House returned to their home districts for a five-week recess. They are expected to return to Washington on Tuesday, September 4th, following the Labor Day holiday. In the meantime, many Members of Congress will be attending local events and hosting town hall meetings in their home states and districts. The Senior Citizens League encourages its supporters to attend these events and to ask important questions of their elected officials, like the following four... .Do you have a low benefit and think you may be affected by hold harmless? TSCL would like to hear from you! Contact us at . .This Part B premium cost - shifting includes shifting those higher costs to state Medicaid budgets that pay the Part B premiums for low-income Medicare beneficiaries — which account for about 19 percent of all Medicare recipients. If this would occur in 2021, this would add yet another fiscal shock to state budgets that are already strained beyond anticipated budgets due to the coronavirus pandemic.