Former Congressmen Jim McCrery (R-LA) and Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) today launched the McCrery-Pomeroy SSDI Solutions Initiative, a bipartisan effort to identify potential improvements to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program.
The goal of the initiative is to provide policymakers with a menu of options to improve the SSDI program well in advance of the program’s 2016 projected insolvency date. The initiative will solicit ideas for concrete and practical reforms that improve various aspects of the SSDI program. The proposed ideas will be subject to a rigorous review process, be presented at a conference in 2015, and then published along with recommendations from the initiative co-chair.
This is coming from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB). CRFB tries to appear bipartisan but it always favors budget cuts over increased revenues. It has a history of ties to tobacco interests and is heavily involved with Pete Peterson, a billionaire, who has been tirelessly and fruitlessly working for decades to undermine Social Security. This initiative will produce a report recommending slashing Social Security disability benefits.McCrery and Pomeroy both served as chairmen of the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee during their time in Congress and have retained an interest in the SSDI program. The co-chairs will be advised by an Advisory Council of experts representing a diverse range of experiences and perspectives.
What is it with Earl Pomeroy? If you don't nominate me to become Commissioner of Social Security, I'll just switch teams?
The solution to depletion of the DI Trust Fund is simply to move money from the OASI Trust Fund, as has been done before (or you could raise the OASDI tax a little). If changes in the DI program can be shown to be warranted, go ahead and make them - but the depletion of the DI Trust Fund is no reason to do so.
ReplyDelete(Most anti-vaccination positions are nonsense, but they are not "left-wing".)
You are not moving money from the OASI trust fund. You are moving digits. The money has already been spent on other federal expenses.
ReplyDeleteDon Levit
Ease up on Pomeroy. The man has to earn a living. Anything to keep from going back to North Dakota.
ReplyDeleteI think that most people on SSDI would be devastated by a 20% cut in benefits. This should not happen. First of all the Gov owes the SS fund and could pay back the loans, secondly the Gov could bail it out. I think that SS is TOO BIG TO FAIL!
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