(Photo source: Flickr user DonkeyHotey)
Defiant House Progressives and progressive organizations have been speaking out against Obama’s proposal to cut Social Security and veterans benefits with a “chained CPI.”
In 2011, 66 House Democrats who still serve today signed a letter saying “cutting Social Security’s already modest benefits is unacceptable and we will reject any legislation that extends the chained CPI to Social Security, veterans and disability, or children’s benefits.”
Meanwhile, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which represents 75 Members, issued an official statement this week saying that “tying Social Security to chained CPI is a benefit cut and members of the CPC will not vote for a deal that cuts the benefits that millions of Americans rely on.”
Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), the incoming chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, is on both lists, and issued her own powerful statement yesterday against these cuts.
At the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, we did a cross-check of the two lists and found that 96 sitting and voting Members (we excluded non-voting delegates) of the House Democratic caucus have signed onto statements either last year or this year saying they would not vote for legislation that uses chained CPI to cut benefits. That’s a majority of the caucus, which includes 191 members.
Here are the names of these 96 Members:
- Ed Pastor (AZ)
- Raúl Grijalva (AZ)
- Lynn Woolsey (CA)
- George Miller (CA)
- Barbara Lee (CA)
- Pete Stark (CA)
- Janice Hahn (CA)
- Michael Honda (CA)
- Sam Farr (CA)
- Xavier Becerra (CA)
- Judy Chu (CA)
- Karen Bass (CA)
- Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA)
- Maxine Waters (CA)
- Laura Richardson (CA)
- Linda Sánchez (CA)
- Jared Polis (CO)
- Rosa DeLauro (CT)
- Corrine Brown (FL)
- Frederica Wilson (FL)
- Hank Johnson (GA)
- John Lewis (GA)
- Mazie Hirono (HI)
- Bobby Rush (IL)
- Luis Gutierrez (IL)
- Danny Davis (IL)
- Jan Schakowsky (IL)
- André Carson (IN)
- Dave Loebsack (IA)
- Chellie Pingree (ME)
- Donna Edwards (MD)
- Elijah Cummings (MD)
- John Olver (MA)
- Jim McGovern (MA)
- Barney Frank (MA)
- John Tierney (MA)
- Ed Markey (MA)
- Mike Capuano (MA)
- John Conyers (MI)
- Hansen Clarke (MI)
- Keith Ellison (MN)
- Bennie Thompson (MS)
- William Lacy Clay, Jr. (MO)
- Emanuel Cleaver (MO)
- Frank Pallone (NJ)
- Rush Holt (NJ)
- Ben R. Luján (NM)
- Jerry Nadler (NY)
- Yvette Clarke (NY)
- Nydia Velázquez (NY)
- Carolyn Maloney (NY)
- Charles Rangel (NY)
- José Serrano (NY)
- Maurice Hinchey (NY)
- Louise Slaughter (NY)
- Mel Watt (NC)
- Brad Miller (NC)
- Marcy Kaptur (OH)
- Dennis Kucinich (OH)
- Marcia Fudge (OH)
- Earl Blumenauer (OR)
- Suzanne Bonamici (OR)
- Peter DeFazio (OR)
- Bob Brady (PA)
- Chaka Fattah (PA)
- David Cicilline (RI)
- Steve Cohen (TN)
- Sheila Jackson Lee (TX)
- Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX)
- Peter Welch (VT)
- Jim Moran (VA)
- Jim McDermott (WA)
- Tammy Baldwin (WI)
- Gwen Moore (WI)
- Joe Baca (CA)
- G.K. Butterfield (NC)
- Kathy Castor (FL)
- Mark Critz (PA)
- Ted Deutch (FL)
- Eliot Engel (NY)
- Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI)
- Alcee Hastings (FL)
- Al Green (TX)
- Gene Green (TX)
- Dale Kildee (MI)
- Doris Matsui (DA)
- Carolyn McCarthy (NY)
- Grace Napolitano (CA)
- Jim Pascrell (NJ)
- Nick Rahall (WV)
- Silvestre Reyes (TX)
- Steve Rothman (NJ)
- Bobby Scott (VA)
- Mike Thompson (CA)
- Paul Tonko (NY)
- Ed Towns (NY)
Click here to see which members of Congress have spoken out most boldly this week, and chip in $1 to each of their campaigns to say thanks
Click here to pledge to hold any Democrat who agrees to a deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits accountable.
Click here to call your Member of Congress and demand that they oppose this bad deal.
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Rosemary Cerniello says:
To reduce social security benefits to Seniors who have paid for this is cruel and inhumane and not needed as Social Security benefits do no affect the deficit and should be used to reduce the deficit. The right way to reduce the deficit and make millionaires and billionairs pay their fair share to taxes. Even if these taxes were fair, these people should be willing to help their less fortunate Americans by not advocating chopping necessary social safety net programs.
Zaid Jilani says:
Agreed. But have you called your member of Congress yet?
Marian Hennings says:
My congressional representative is a John Boehner clone and it would be a waste of my time to call her.
BONNIE says:
To the Republicans: *** ????? WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING THE RICH ???? *** RAISE THEIR TAXES !!! WHY ARE YOU INTENT ON TAKING FROM THE SENIORS ON SOCIAL SECURITY INCOME OF $800.00 TO $1500.00 A MONTH ? How much do YOU make in a MONTH ? Does YOUR MEDICARE Insurance cost YOU $100.00 OUT OF THAT $1200.00 CHECK ? Do YOU have to pay ANOTHER $100.00 TO $300.00 a month for YOUR SUPPLEMENTAL MEDICAL INSURANCE & STILL have to pay large co-pays for necessary prescriptions every month. Do YOU have to pay $300.00 a month FROM that $1200.00 SS CHECK for Home Heating Fuel ? WHAT’S LEFT FOR ELECTRIC, PHONE, FOOD ? HOW ABOUT A VEHICLE & INSURANCE, PROPERTY TAXES OR RENT FOR THE ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD ????? **** ***** MAYBE YOU’RE RIGHT, “SPENDING IS THE PROBLEM” FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE SENIORS ON “SOCIAL SECURITY INSURANCE” !!!!!! *****
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Stacie says:
I think that everything published was actually very logical.
But, what about this? suppose you composed a catchier post title?
I ain’t suggesting your information is not good, however what if you added something to maybe get folk’s attention?
I mean A Majority Of House Democrats Have Said They Would
Vote Against A Bill With Chained CPI | Progressive Change Campaign
Committee (PCCC) is a little boring. You might peek at Yahoo’s home page and watch how they create article headlines to get viewers interested. You might add a video or a pic or two to grab readers excited about everything’ve written.
Just my opinion, it would make your blog a little livelier.