Why in the world would members of Congress seek to expand Social Security when for at least eighteen years they have ignored the urging of the Trustees to make the changes necessary to keep the program fully solvent for the next 75 years?
The Expand Social Security Caucus is bicameral, chaired by Sanders and Warren in the Senate and by Larson, Dingell, Terri A. Sewell (D-AL), Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), and Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA) in the House.
This is irresponsible or perhaps just pure election year politics. I’m not sure which is worse.
I guess is isn’t sexy to say we need to raise taxes to keep paying already promised benefits, so we’ll just say let’s expand Social Security and all those old folks will vote for us thinking their benefits are going up. đ—€”
How?
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Good question. It’s like asking to define “wealthy”
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According to http://www.BernieSanders.com/issues Sen. Sanders has introduced legislation lifting the cap so that everyone who makes over $250,000 a year pays the same percentage of their income into Social Security as the middle class and working families.
The expansion would be to expand benefits by an average of $65 a month; increase cost-of-living-adjustments.; and lift more seniors out of poverty by increasing the minimum benefits paid to low-income seniors.
If $780 / year is going to lift somebody out of poverty then it is only going to help a few people who were boardline to begin with. To me, it sound like Bernie want to raise everybody from a lower class retirement to a middle-class retirement and $780 is not going to do that.
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That change doesn’t even make the program solvent as it is, let alone allow for added benefits.
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you have VERY few options, you either RAISE the SS benefits or you RAISE the income limits so seniors become eligible for food stamps, welfare, etc. Or you pass as law that says ALL employers have to offer both pension and 401k programs on the date of hire!
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