First, one new cosponsor, Representative Dean Phillips (MN-3), signed on to Congressman Larson's Social Security 2100 Act (H.R. 860), bringing the total up to 20If adopted, this critical bill would strengthen and reform the Social Security program responsibly, without enacting benefit cuts for current or future retirees. It would also cut taxes for millions of seniors and create a new Special Minimum Benefit set at 125 percent of the poverty line. .If signed into law, the Strengthening Social Security Act would amend title II of the Social Security Act to adjust the benefit formula, resulting in a more generous monthly Social Security benefit. It would also change the way that cost-of-living adjustments are calculated by adopting a Consumer Price Index for the Elderly, and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. .We've also reported on an analysis by the Social Security Administration about the effect of the President's directive on the viability of Social Security. That report said in part, the " DI [Disability Insurance] Trust Fund asset reserves would become permanently depleted in about the middle of calendar year 2021, with no ability to pay DI benefits thereafter. We estimate that OASI[Old Age and Survivors' Insurance] Trust Fund reserves would become permanently depleted by the middle of calendar year 2023, with no ability to pay OASI benefits thereafter." .Use a consumer price index that better reflects the costs of retirees — the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E). .In 2013 the Social Security Office of the Actuary released an actuarial note regarding providing information of the effects of unauthorized immigration on the status of the Social Security Trust Funds. The Office of the Actuary stated that it has difficulty "in determining what portion of taxes paid to and benefits received from the Social Security Trust Fund are derived from the earnings of immigrants working without authorization." The obtuse note was frustrating to dissect as there was no discussion on the reasoning behind assumptions and there was no attempt to estimate the long-term cost in Social Security benefits of unauthorized work. Here are some eye-opening points that the Office of the Actuary did provide: .This week, TSCL announced its support for the Delay until Fully Functional Act (S. 1592 and H.R. 3359), which was introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (FL) in the Senate and by Rep. Trey Radel (FL-19) in the House. The bill, if signed into law, would delay the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate for six months once the Government Accountability Office certifies that the exchange website is fully functional. .A surviving beneficiary spouse is one who collects Social Security benefits not from their own account, but from the account of his or her deceased spouse. To find out more about Notch Reform benefits for surviving beneficiaries, click here: What Happens to Benefit Payments When Your Spouse is Deceased? .Other critics say that revising the government's purchasing rules will not provide a quick solution to the supply shortages of the current pandemic. "Making Buy American provisions tighter during the current crisis would likely do more harm than good," according to William Reinsch and Jack Caporal of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. .Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its warning for cruise travel for the first time since several outbreaks on ships brought the industry to a halt last year.