War Savings to Fund "Doc Fix" Extension? .The fundamental fact is that two-thirds of Americans over the age of 65 depend on an average annual Social Security benefit of ,400 for at least half of their income. Yet little consideration has been given so far to the fact that earned income in excess of 3,700 is entirely exempt for the 6.2 percent payroll tax that funds Social Security benefits. TSCL believes that by raising the maximum wage ceiling Congress could significantly reduce the financial crisis facing the system, without causing financial hardship. .Ensuring that governmental bodies live up to any commitment made to senior citizens. .In 1988, a report by the former U. S. General Accounting Office, now the Government Accountability Office (GAO), cited an example of two sisters who started working at the same book bindery, on the same day, in October 195Audrey was born in March 1916, and Edith in June of 191The two had almost identical lifetime earnings. The younger sister Edith (born 1917) received a monthly benefit of 2.60, 1.80 less than her older sister Audrey (born 1916), who received 4.40 per month. .On Wednesday, Congressmen Elijah Cummings (MD-7) and Peter Welch (VT) met with President Donald Trump to discuss the state of the prescription drug industry. At the meeting, they requested President Trump's support for TSCL-backed legislation called the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act (H.R. 242, S. 41), which would require the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices on behalf of Medicare Part D beneficiaries. Currently, Medicare is prohibited from doing so despite the fact that other federal health programs are required to. .For those planning retirement however, it is the estimated dollar amount in Social Security benefits, not the replacement rate, that what one uses to determine a retirement budget, or how much more one will need to save for retirement. When one retires, it is the actual benefit amount, not the replacement rate that one must live on. One of the most frequent requests for services received by Social Security Administration is for an estimate of benefits. While no promises of benefits are made, millions of estimates are made annually. If the rules are changed abruptly, as they were for those born during the Notch period, this leaves no time to save for the shortfalls in benefits (if they can be foreseen ahead of time). .Senate Subcommittee Considers Family Leave Proposal .Meanwhile, TSCL continues to work for passage of Notch Fairness Act, legislation that would provide ,000 payable in four annual installments, or an improved monthly benefit. The bill has been re-introduced in both the House and the Senate and has 22 co-sponsors. TSCL remains committed to Notch Reform and we continue to meet with Members of Congress to build support for this needed remedy. .Social Security and Medicare are the targets of a growing number of new budget plans aimed at reducing federal spending. President Obama's Fiscal Commission recently voted 11-7 to cut Social Security benefits for all seniors, and require beneficiaries to pay substantially more for their Medicare.