social security

Congressman-elect Alan Grayson (D-FL)

Bold progressive Congressman-elect Alan Grayson (D-FL) just publishedAi??a long Facebook note protesting Obama’s endorsement of the chained CPI to cut Social Security and veterans benefits. He labels the proposal as “undeserved, unwise, unfair.” Read the full note:

Let me get right to the point. I’m against the proposed “chained CPI” cut in Social Security because it substantially undermines the protection against inflation that Social Security recipients enjoy under current law. The existing cost of living adjustment (“COLA”) already understates actual increases in the “cost of living”; the chained CPI would exacerbate the problem.

I understand that the vast majority of Americans — including, quite possibly, most people reading this – have no burning desire to learn anything about the chained CPI. It has, however, become a major part of the “fiscal cliff” negotiations, and so it has become one of those things that people have to learn about, for their own protection.

Where we are now in the fiscal cliff negotiations is that Speaker Boehner is talking about reducing the federal deficit in the exact same way that Governor Romney did – Boehner says that he wants to, but he won’t tell us how. President Obama, boxed in by the poll-driven sense that he must-must-must propose something “balanced,” is “balancing” the reduction of tax breaks for the rich against the reduction of the protection that seniors have against inflation. On the merits, however, reducing that protection is undeserved, unwise and unfair.

Social Security benefits are automatically adjusted each year to reflect increases in the cost of living, as determined by the consumer price index (CPI). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the CPI each month.

Here is how the “chained CPI” would change things: Let’s say that the cost of gasoline tripled, from …

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) just went to the floor of the House of Representatives and denounced President Obama’s proposed Social Security benefit cut, saying that it would induce seniors into having to eat “cat food” to survive:

KUCINICH: Will Seniors be pushed off the ai???fiscal cliffai??i??? Social Security did not cause the deficit, but the White Houseai??i??s plan to lower Social Security cost-of-living benefits could eventually reduce Seniorsai??i?? annual benefits by hundreds of dollars. The gimmick is called the ai???Chained Consumer Price Index.ai??i?? The Chained C.P.I. works this way:Ai?? As the cost-of-living goes up, seniors inevitably turn to cheaper alternatives.

ai???For example, if seniors usually eat steak but then canai??i??t afford its higher price, they can switch to something cheaper, like cat food- – and the cost-of-living calculation would be ai???chainedai??i?? to the cheaper item – -Ai?? cat food. So, the less you pay for food the less benefits you get. The ai???chained CPIai??i?? benefit cut will chain aging seniors to a poverty of choices, a lower standard of living, with cheaper products.

ai???The chained CPI formula doesnai??i??t take into account seniorsai??i?? rising health care costs. If it did benefits would go up. There is no justification to cut Social Security benefits. No to throwing seniors off the fiscal cliff.Ai?? No to a Cat Food Christmas.ai???

Watch it:

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Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)

President Obama has agreed to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, beneficiaries would get cuts in their cost of living adjustments.Ai??Last night, a defiant Congressional Progressive Caucus ai??i?? with 75 Members in the House ai??i??Ai??vowed to voteAi??against such a deal, calling it a definite ai???benefit cut.ai???

It’s important to remember that leading House Democrats — Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) and Vice Caucus Chair Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) — actually denounced chained CPI in 2011 during an event on June 22 in HVC Studio A of the Capitol Visitors Center.

Becerra [Federal News Service, 6/22/11]:

So at a time when seniors are depending more and more on Social Security, at a time that their basic income goes primarily towards basic needs, the COLA change through the chain CPI would take away more of their Social Security benefits. And so it’s not only a backdoor way to make cuts to Social Security, it’s an underhanded way to make cuts to Social Security.Ai??And when you put it in the context of deficit reduction, when Social Security has contributed not a dime to the deficit, it’s unconscionable. And so we’re here to say, hands off of everyone’s Social Security. Let’s strengthen it, not privatize it.

Crowley [Federal News Service, 6/22/11]:

I hear about it every day when I’m home from the seniors and veterans that I represent. And now, we’re seeing a push by some in Washington to put a permanent cut on any possible future cost-of- living increase for Social Security and veterans’ benefits through an only-in-Washington idea known as chained CPI. This should — more accurately called the “chainsaw” CPI. Now, this may all sound like funny …

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, beneficiaries would get cuts in their cost of living adjustments.Ai??Outraged Congressional DemocratsAi??have been speaking out for days against these cuts. A defiant Congressional Progressive Caucus — with 75 Members in the House — vowed to vote against such a deal, calling it a definite “benefit cut.”

During an interview on The Young Turks’ Cenk UygurAi??last night, Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) reiterated his opposition to chained CPI and benefit cuts, saying that his caucus will not vote for a deal that has them:

ELLISON: Well the first thing that we can do is to let them know that we will not be voting for any cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. We’ve already fired off a whole number of missives on that exact point, we’re making our position very clear, we’re organizing caucus members, we’ve got a letter with 102 people on it, saying that we will not vote for anything that cuts Social Security, communicating that to our leadership and the White House. We’re firm on that. We’re talking internally to make sure the people are going to stay strong. And that’s what we’re doing, we’re letting folks know where we stand so they can go back and recalculate and come up with something else. Because we’re not going to solve these fiscal problems of the backs of the seniors, of the disabled, of the survivors.

Watch it:

There has been intense unity among progressive organizations on this point of opposing a deal that cuts Social Security benefits. The AFL-CIO said Congress should ai???reject any cuts to …

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, beneficiaries would get cuts in their cost of living adjustments. Outraged Congressional Democrats have been speaking out for days against these cuts.

The cuts to Social Security benefits under such a recalculation would amount to about $112 billion over ten years.

Let’s put this in perspective. In the offer Obama gave to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), he also put $100 billion of Pentagon spending cuts on the table for the same period.

That means that Obama offered to cut a program that doesn’t add a penny to the deficit — Social Security — by more than the single largest drain on discretionary spending, the Pentagon.

We did polling in the swing states of New Hampshire and Virginia and found that voters overwhelmingly oppose cuts to Social Security benefits while they support cutting defense spending.

Obama should listen to the people.

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly against Social Security benefit cuts.Ai??Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

Click hereAi??to pledge to hold any Democrat who agrees to a deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits accountable.

Click hereAi??to call your Member of Congress and demand that they oppose this bad deal.

CPC Co-chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) made clear he will oppose any cuts to Social Security benefits and vote against a deal that includes them.

Earlier today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she would support President Obama’s proposed Social Security benefit cuts — even arguing that using the “chained CPI” would not be a benefit cutAi??after previously telling President Obama “that House Democrats will not vote for any trims to future benefits in Medicare or Social Security, even a tweak to the cost-of-living index,”Ai??according to her hometown paper.

A defiant Congressional Progressive Caucus ai??i?? which hasAi??75 MembersAi??in the House ai??i?? pushed back, releasing a statement declaring:

Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) are standing up against a proposal to cut Social Security benefits by changing the way we calculate inflation…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.

This Progressive Caucus statement follows similarly bold statements from individual Caucus members in the preceding 36 hours. Some are below (emphasis added):

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), CPC co-chair:

“Chained CPI makes life harder for millions of retirees, weakens Social Security and doesnai??i??t reduce the deficit by a penny. Itai??i??s a Beltway fig leaf that I will never support, and I call on my colleagues to make their feelings known as soon as possible before this becomes yet another piece of conventional wisdom that makes things worse.”

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI):

“I will vote against any agreement that imposes cuts to already modest Social Security benefits and does not ask millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.”

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA):

“Reducing cost of living adjustments is a Social Security benefit cut. Any deal that cuts Social …

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, beneficiaries would get cuts in their cost of living adjustments.

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) just released the following statement denouncing this policy, saying the proposal to cut benefits is “unacceptable” and that he will “oppose” it:

ai???Everyone has a grandparent, a friend or a neighbor who relies on the Social Security benefits they earned to pay for medical care, food and housing. A move towards chained CPI would be a long-term benefit cut for every single person who receives a Social Security check.
ai???The current average earned benefit for a 65 year old on Social Security is $17,134. Using chained CPI will result in a $6,000 loss for retirees in the first fifteen years of retirement and adds up to a $16,000 loss over twenty-five years. This change would be devastating to beneficiaries, especially widowed women, more than a third of whom rely on the program for 90% of their income and use every single dollar of the Social Security checks they’ve earned. This would require the most vulnerable Americans to dig further into their savings to fill the hole left by unnecessary and irresponsible cuts to Social Security.

ai???Reducing cost of living adjustments is a Social Security benefit cut. Any deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits is unacceptable and I will oppose it.ai???

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today.Ai??Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

Click hereAi??to pledge to hold any Democrat who agrees to a deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare, …

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

Earlier this week, President Obama offered a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, beneficiaries would get cuts in their cost of living adjustments.

There has been an intense backlash among congressional Democrats, but two members of the Senate Democratic caucus — Joe Lieberman (CT) and Kent Conrad (ND) — have indicated that they would be supportive of this cut to Social Security benefits.

The two share one common trait — they’re both retiring. They do not have to face accountability to voters, and they both will have the option of taking lucrative lobbying jobs Ai??which will pad their retirements. Earlier this year, Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (I-CT) office specifically refused to disclose any job negotiations he’s having for his post-Senate career.

As The Atlantic’s Molly Ball argues, Conrad and Lieberman’s retirements clear the path for a new class of Democratic Senators who are more progressive: “North Dakota’s old Democratic senator was the moderate Kent Conrad; its new Democratic senator, Heidi Heitkamp, campaigned on a platform of ending tax cuts for millionaires and protecting Social Security from cuts.” As she notes, “Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson is out; Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, is in.”

Our polling in key swing states and President Obama’s home state of Illinois showed that voters overwhelmingly opposed cuts to Social Security benefits, and that they support Elizabeth Warren’s “balanced approach” of cutting military spending and corporate welfare while making the rich pay their fair. Voters gave these new Members of Congress a progressive mandate.

One would only hope that Lieberman and Conrad do not want their final legacy in the Senate to be one of helping hurt America’s retirees and veterans.

We set up an ActBlue page …

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, beneficiaries would get cuts in their cost of living adjustments.

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) just released the following statement denouncing this policy, saying he “staunchly” opposes it:

DEFAZIO: Throughout my time in Congress I have always fought to protect Social Security and Medicare from unfair ideologically based cuts. The fact the Social Security, which did not contribute to our fiscal troubles, is being discussed as part of the deficit negotiations is outrageous. I staunchly oppose the latest proposal to cut the Social Security cost of living adjustments (COLAs) by using the ai???chained CPI.ai???Ai?? The current COLA formula already doesnai??i??t reflect the rising costs of medications, food, and other good that seniors buy. The chained CPI would only make the problem worse.Ai?? Using the chained CPI to calculate COLAs would cause the average senior to lose over $16,000 over 25 year retirement. Nearly 70 percent of Social Security beneficiaries depend on Social Security for at least half of their income. Social Security is the sole source of income for 15 percent of recipients . Asking these retirees on a fixed income to bear the brunt of reducing a deficit that they did not create is inappropriate and unacceptable.ai???

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today.Ai??Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

Click hereAi??to pledge to hold any Democrat who agrees to a deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits accountable.

Click hereAi??to call your Member of Congress and demand that they oppose this bad …

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, beneficiaries would get cuts in their cost of living adjustments.

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) stated firmly that he would vote against any deal that has these sort of benefit cuts:

ai???After a lifetime of hard work, our seniors deserve to know that Social Security will be there to allow them to enjoy their retirement years with economic security and peace of mind.Ai?? By law, Social Security cannot contribute to the federal deficit. While we need to address its future solvency, cuts to Social Security benefits should not be a part of ai???fiscal cliffai??i?? negotiations.ai???

 

ai???I will vote against any agreement that imposes cuts to already modest Social Security benefits and does not ask millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.Ai?? As we continue to approach the January 1stAi??financial deadline, I urge our leaders to take Social Security off the table during negotiations and find a solution that works for the middle class.ai???

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today.Ai??Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

Click hereAi??to pledge to hold any Democrat who agrees to a deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits accountable.

Click hereAi??to call your Member of Congress and demand that they oppose this bad deal.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, beneficiaries would get cuts in their cost of living adjustments.

The plan is drawing the ire of Democrats in Congress. Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD) released Ai??the following statement on these proposed cuts, calling them “fundamentally unfair”:

ai???I stand with my fellow CPC members in strongly opposing any move toward chained CPI that would greatly reduce the long-term benefits of every single Social Security recipient and their families. These are our family members, our friends and neighbors who worked hard, played by the rules, and paid their fair share.Ai?? Now the government must uphold its end of the deal and protect their Social Security benefits.

 

ai???It is fundamentally unfair to ask our most vulnerable citizens ai??i?? our elderly and our poor ai??i?? to shoulder the burden for our country; it is morally wrong and unacceptable.Ai?? We must do better.ai???

 

The Center for Economic Policy and Research estimates that, for the average worker retiring at age 65, a change to chained CPI would mean a cut of about $650 each year by age 75 and a cut of roughly $1,130 each year at age 85.

 

Calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index, or ai???CPI,ai??? is often referred to as a cost-of-living estimate. Chained CPI changes the formula used to calculate inflation by taking into account changes in spending patterns, not just the price of goods, over time.Ai?? This different calculation lowers the annual cost-of-living adjustment Social Security recipients receive therefore reducing their total benefits over time.

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who …

Senator-elect Chris Murphy (D-CT)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, beneficiaries would get cuts in their cost of living adjustments.

The plan is drawing the ire of Democrats in Congress. Senator-elect Chris Murphy (CT) said the plan is a “terrible idea,” joining several others in denouncing it, including Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) who quipped, “It doesn’t warm my heart”:

ai???I donai??i??t like it at all,ai??? said Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.).

ai???A terrible idea,ai??? said Rep. and Sen.-elect Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

ai???We donai??i??t like the chained CPI,ai??? said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.).

ai???We donai??i??t like it,ai??? said Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.). ai???Why are you hurting the vulnerable seniors?ai???

Any fiscal-cliff deal brokered between Boehner and Obama will need a significant amount of Democratic support to pass the House, because Tea Party lawmakers are expected to reject such an agreement.

Several Senate Democrats also hammered Obamaai??i??s chained CPI proposal Tuesday, with Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) saying the provision would be ai???a problem for Democratsai???; Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) warning that heai??i??ll ai???fight hardai??? to keep Social Security out of the fiscal-cliff package; and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) saying the White House move ai???doesnai??i??t warm my heart.ai???

ai???I donai??i??t care if they spread it over a whole bunch of years. The whole understanding has been that we wouldnai??i??t do Social Security,ai??? Rockefeller said. ai???That was for later.ai???

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today.Ai??Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

Click hereAi??to pledge to hold any Democrat who agrees to a deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits accountable.

Click …

Huffman with Sally Tanner, a prominent former member of the California State Assembly.

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, beneficiaries would get cuts in their cost of living adjustments.

In the last day, Democratic Congressman-elect Mark Takano (CA) joined progressive organizations and Ai??Democratic Reps. Nadler (NY), Conyers (MI), Lee (CA), Johnson (GA), Edwards (MD),Ai??Schakowsky (IL), Grijalva (AZ), Rangel (NY), and Ellison (MN)Ai??andAi??Democratic Sens. Durbin (IL), Brown (OH), and Merkley (OR) in opposing this idea.Ai??This morning, newly-elected Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA) made his thoughts clear in a statement to us:

ai???I do not support reducing Social Security benefits or raising the Medicare eligibility age, nor do I support giving ground on the upper income tax rate.Ai?? I will be disappointed if these items are part of a fiscal cliff deal.Ai?? Instead of targeting seniors and the poor while giving more tax concessions to those who donai??i??t need them, the House should simply vote on the bipartisan middle class tax cut already passed by the Senate, and then focus spending reductions on our over-sized military budget and cuts that do not hurt struggling families, like the huge subsidies for the oil industry.ai???

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today.Ai??Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

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 …

For Obama, these voices are significant. He is losing the allies who should be in the forefront of the fight to seal any deal he reaches with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Without a solid base of Democratic votes in the House and Senate for it, this deal won’t be done. And make no mistake: a fiscal-cliff compromise that compromises Social Security should not be done. Period. That’s the message coming from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which as usual has moved rapidly — and effectively — to build mass opposition to a cut that will only happen if Americans are unaware of the threat.

Outside liberal groups are keeping up pressure on Democrats to ward off a deal that includes any changes to Social Security. Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, threatened primary challenges for Democratic lawmakers flirting with supporting the CPI change and warned that progressives were already getting mobilized to lobby members. “People are under the kind of delusional idea that the American public would applaud cutting their own grandparents’ Social Security benefits because compromise is just that important,” Green said in an interview. “Well, it’s not. There’s a good compromise and a bad compromise.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits.Ai??Under this plan, ai???a person age 75 in the future will get a yearly benefit thatai??i??s $653 lower after ten years of chained CPI than that person would get under the current formula. An 85-year-old will have $1,139 less to live on.ai??? This represents a huge cut to benefits.

Progressive Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) objects to this move, and released a statement to make clear that will not support such a deal:

ai???Social Security is one of the bedrocks of our middle class society and is an essential safety net for millions of American seniors and their families.Ai?? Millions and millions of Americans rely on Social Security benefits for medical care, food, housing, and other essentials.Ai?? We cannot allow a move toward chained CPI that would result, over time, in substantial cuts in benefits.

ai???We must not force our senior citizens to dig further into their savings to fill the hole left by unnecessary and irresponsible cuts to Social Security.Ai?? It is unconscionable for Republicans to ask seniors and others who can least afford it to sacrifice even more in order to continue giving tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans.Ai??Ai??I do not support any deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits.ai???

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today.Ai??Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

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 …

Stephanie Taylor, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said the chained CPI plan is “unacceptable.” A labor source called it “insanity.” As Matt Yglesias pointed out this morning, the chained CPI is also unpopular, with 60 percent opposed to “changing Social Security to increase at a slower rate” and only 34 percent in favor.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits.Ai??Under this plan, ai???a person age 75 in the future will get a yearly benefit thatai??i??s $653 lower after ten years of chained CPI than that person would get under the current formula. An 85-year-old will have $1,139 less to live on.ai??? This represents a huge cut to benefits.

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) told Congressional Quarterly (subscription only) that he doesn’t like the idea of the chained CPI “at all” and that his colleagues “overwhelmingly” agree with him:

Democrats sharply criticized the idea on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, but several said they hoped the White House could create a cushion to soften the impact on the neediest beneficiaries.

ai???I donai??i??t like it at all,ai??? said Sen.Ai??SherrodAi??Brown, D-Ohio, adding that his colleagues ai???overwhelminglyai??? agreed with him on the issue.

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today.Ai??Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

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.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits.Ai??Under this plan, ai???a person age 75 in the future will get a yearly benefit thatai??i??s $653 lower after ten years of chained CPI than that person would get under the current formula. An 85-year-old will have $1,139 less to live on.ai??? This represents a huge cut to benefits.

In an interview with The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent, Durbin said that we should take Social Security out of the fiscal negotiations:

In an interview with me this morning, Senator Dick Durbin, a top ally of the White House, told me he opposes including Chained CPI for Social Security in the final deal. He said it would be difficult for Democrats to support Chained CPI for Social Security if it ended up in the deal, though he said it was premature to say anything definitive about how they would vote.

ai???We ought to deal with Social Security in a separate conversation that is not part of deficit reduction,ai??? Durbin told me. ai???To do it at this stage is the wrong way to go.ai???

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today.Ai??Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

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.

Congressman-elect Mark Takano (D-CA)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits.Ai??Under this plan, ai???a person age 75 in the future will get a yearly benefit thatai??i??s $653 lower after ten years of chained CPI than that person would get under the current formula. An 85-year-old will have $1,139 less to live on.ai??? This represents a huge cut to benefits.

Congressman-elect Mark Takano (D-CA) issued a statement this morning re-iterating his belief that he opposes any cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits:

ai???As I’ve been preparing to come to Washington, I’ve kept a close eye on the ai???Fiscal Cliffai??i?? negotiations that are underway between President Obama and Speaker Boehner.

Recent reports have indicated that while Speaker Boehner has conceded that tax rates will increase for the wealthiest Americans, there is significant discussion about reforming key entitlement programs.

During my campaign, I told the voters that I would Ai??oppose any cuts or fundamental changes to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and I continue to stand by that. Ai??We shouldn’t be using a budgetary crisis, created by Republican obstructionism, to undermine the promise weai??i??ve made to our seniors. We cannot balance the budget on the backs of the America’s most vulnerable citizens.ai???

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today. Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

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.

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits. Under this plan, ai???a person age 75 in the future will get a yearly benefit thatai??i??s $653 lower after ten years of chained CPI than that person would get under the current formula. An 85-year-old will have $1,139 less to live on.ai??? This represents a huge cut to benefits.

Progressive Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) objects to this move, and pointed out on Twitter that it represents a definite benefit cut and that we cannot ask our seniors to accept it:

As even right-wing former president Ronald Reagan pointed out, Social Security doesn’t add a penny to the deficit — which makes it even more inappropriate that Congress is considering cutting it in deficit negotiations.

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today. Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

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.

Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits.Ai??Under this plan, ai???a person age 75 in the future will get a yearly benefit thatai??i??s $653 lower after ten years of chained CPI than that person would get under the current formula. An 85-year-old will have $1,139 less to live on.ai??? This represents a huge cut to benefits.

Progressive Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) objects to this move, and pointed out on Twitter that it represents a cut in benefits for seniors, disabled people, children, and veterans:

Edwards has been leading on this issue, and has been circulating a letter to President Obama calling on him to reject the chained CPI.

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today. Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

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.

The liberal Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) on Tuesday morning circulated criticism from a handful of progressive players, signifying that politicians and interest groups on the left, who have decried any cuts to Social Security or Medicare, will coordinate at least some degree of pushback against this movement toward a compromise.

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits.Ai??Under this plan, ai???a person age 75 in the future will get a yearly benefit thatai??i??s $653 lower after ten years of chained CPI than that person would get under the current formula. An 85-year-old will have $1,139 less to live on.ai??? This represents a huge cut to benefits.

Democratic Congressman Hank Johnson (GA) pointed out on Twitter that Social Security doesn’t even add to the deficit and asked, “Why are we even talking about it?”

Here’s the answer: we shouldn’t be, and President Obama should back off this bad deal.

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today. Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

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.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

There are now multiple press reports that President Obama will agree to a fiscal deal that enacts a so-called ai???Chained CPIai??? to calculate Social Security and veteransai??i?? benefits.Ai??Under this plan, ai???a person age 75 in the future will get a yearly benefit thatai??i??s $653 lower after ten years of chained CPI than that person would get under the current formula. An 85-year-old will have $1,139 less to live on.ai??? This represents a huge cut to benefits.

On Twitter, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) appeared to reject this approach:

Additionally, here’s a full statement his office released:

ai???We had an election, and the voters sent a message to Congress to focus on jobs and fairness — not cutting benefits for people who have worked all their lives and are now making ends meet on fixed incomes. The formula we use to adjust cost-of-living changes for seniors needs to reflect the real costs they face, not the budgetary fantasies of Washington.ai???

We set up an ActBlue page to highlight and reward bold progressive members of Congress who are speaking out publicly today. Check them out and donate $3 to them here.

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.