House Social Security Subcommittee Schedules Hearing
From a
press release:
U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, today announced a hearing series on Securing the Future of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Program. The first hearing of the series will focus on the history of the disability insurance program, the income security it provides and its financing challenges. The hearing will take place on Friday, December 2, 2011, in B-318 Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 9:00 a.m. ...
In announcing the hearing series, Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) said, “Disabilities have a devastating effect on individuals and their families, and Social Security Disability Insurance benefits provide important income security that they rely on. Yet in just seven years the disability program will be unable to pay full benefits unless changes to the law are made. Through this hearing series the Subcommittee will lead a much-needed conversation about the challenges facing this vital program and solutions that can meet the needs of those with disabilities and the workers who support the program through their hard-earned tax dollars.”
This could well be the beginning of the end of the disability program as we know it. Between the organized assault by the WSJ and Republicans anxious to gut government spending, coupled with the spineless Democrats unwilling to risk their own necks to save the program, I don't hold out much hope the program will survive in its current form for much longer. I see only a few options: time-limited benefits, benefit cuts, or changing the law to make it much more difficult to qualify.
ReplyDeleteIt's already difficult to get and the laws change frequently making it more difficult.
ReplyDeleteThe benefits are supposed to be "time-limited" in a sense because cases are supposed to reviewed medically every 5-7 if not 3-5 years.
How they can cut what people have, by law, paid into is beyond me and I'm an (R).
Does the retirement age need to be tweeked? Maybe. They can also start by getting rid of non productive ALJ's who make 150K a year. Give me a red pen, I'll cut billions out of gov't spending. Google Top 10 Ways Gov't wastes money for an eye opener. It's not on SSA DIB cases.
The fact that Congress robbed the trust fund for years to pay for other programs will never be brought up.
Lets start with cutting Congressional pay.