"Turning our backs on trading partners during a crisis could damage our relationships long after this pandemic ends," the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhARMA) and dozens of other business and trade groups wrote in a letter to the administration. .TSCL is disappointed in the repeated attempts of lawmakers to reduce funding for the healthcare of their sickest and poorest constituents in 201TSCL urges all of you to get ready to vote this election year. Start now by checking that your voter registration is up to date, particularly if you have moved recently. .In addition, one new cosponsor signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act (H.R. 3118), bringing the total up fifty-two. The new cosponsor is Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-5). If signed into law, the bill would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous monthly benefits; it would adopt the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E), resulting in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. The bill would extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits for seniors. .New regulatory threats, some at the urging of the pharmaceutical industry, could make it impossible for seniors to purchase certain products like vitamins and minerals without a prescription. It may sound outrageous, but seniors could soon be limited in their access to things as simple as protein shakes, vegetable juice and even herbal hand lotion without a prescription. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently began imposing new regulations on products used in "Complementary and Alternative Medicine" (CAM). TSCL is concerned the expensive federal regulations will restrict seniors' access to commonly available items and drive up costs for those that remain on the market. .On Thursday, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that beneficiaries will receive a 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 201It will be the largest Social Security COLA since 2012, but around 5 million seniors with the lowest Social Security benefits are expected see no net increase in their monthly checks after Medicare Part B premiums are deducted. Those with benefits of around 5 per month or less are expected to see no net increase. .At that point Congress would either must cut benefits in a major way or raise taxes to pay for continued benefits, something that Congress has refused to do for years. .TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 2745, H.R. 3118, and H.R. 1795, and we were pleased to see support grow for each of them this week. .However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) refused to bring the bill up in the Senate for debate or a vote. As a result, Congressional leaders have been struggling over the past few weeks to come up with legislation to deal with those issues to help those Americans who have been hurt so badly by the virus and the horrible economy that has resulted. ."Most people 65 and over take more than one prescription drug, so to get the lowest-costing plan that's right for you, people need to do a drug plan comparison based on all the drugs they currently take, " Johnson explains. "In addition, you should carefully compare prices at network retail pharmacies as well as mail order — those prices can also vary significantly," Johnson notes.