From Daily Kos:
Two provisions to cut Social Security benefits in the proposed highway bill caused Democrats in both the Senate and House to revolt. Democrats have succeeded in getting both of those provisions removed, but now Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing a serious challenge in getting the bill past his own party, in both chambers of Congress.
Senate Democrats defeated McConnell's first effort to bring the bill to the floor for debate, arguing they didn't have time to read the 1030-page bill in the few hours he had given them, and because of these spending provisions that hit Social Security. Immediately following that defeat, the Social Security cut to people who were concurrently receiving disability benefits and unemployment insurance was removed. The second cut, which would have ended benefits to anyone with an outstanding felony warrant, was was axed before a second procedural vote Wednesday night. Democrats pointed out that the last time this was attempted, and stymied by the courts, the government had to pay back $500 million to some 80,000 people who were wrongly cut off.
McConnell got the votes of 14 Democrats after removing these provisions, and the bill is moving forward this week in the Senate. ...Reality check, GOP: If you can't pass these changes to the Social Security disability program, what makes you think you can pass dramatic cuts in the program?
There's reality, and realiTEA.
ReplyDeleteIn reality, such cuts to Social Security cannot pass. Picture Gandalf with a staff on a narrow bridge.
In realiTEA, conservative politicians get big support from tea party types for rabidly proposing any and everything that might cut the size of government (like the two provisions in the bill), regardless of whether it could possibly pass.
I don't know, you guys. Dems can be big and bad when it comes to deleting riders from a highway funding bill that isn't super duper urgent, but next time, when these or other cuts are tied to, oh, I dunno, a CR or budget, let's see how steadfastly the dems protect social security.
ReplyDeleteto be more clear: most everyone up in DC are special interest puppets and/or careerists out for themselves. But many democrats at least have some general allegiance to the social democracy and welfare state we've created here in the US. So when the true believer tea party types in the house (and to a much lesser degree, senate, due to being elected statewide) act to hold the budget hostage, these democrats realize the tea partiers absolutely will let everything burn to the ground before they do something that violates their ethos.
ReplyDeleteEven from a jaded political point of view, thanks to the serious gerrymandering of house districts, these true believer tea partiers have enough folks in their packed, bright red districts who would support them even after acting so callously (and probably because they acted so callously) that they don't even have the "but I want to be re-elected" motivation to be somewhat reasonable.
So yeah, next time the tea party wing of house republicans create a high stakes staring contest, I wouldn't be so quick to put my money on the dems not caving rather significantly to prevent all out destruction.
4:31: the next "high stakes staring contest" is coming at the end of '16 (or '17 if Charles is correct), when the SSD trust fund can no longer pay full benefits and needs to be reallocated. Hopefully today's actions show that the Dems finally understand that protecting SS is good for them and the country and they won't cave when it really counts.
ReplyDeleteyour kind of cut I was check in this a lot of older people what does not receive nothing else but the Social Security checks there is not any other income in the house no welfare and there's not enough to pay for all the bills sorry I don't know how is it going to the Social Security check
ReplyDeleteyour kind of cut I was check in this a lot of older people what does not receive nothing else but the Social Security checks there is not any other income in the house no welfare and there's not enough to pay for all the bills sorry I don't know how is it going to the Social Security check
ReplyDeleteyour kind of cut I was check in this a lot of older people what does not receive nothing else but the Social Security checks there is not any other income in the house no welfare and there's not enough to pay for all the bills sorry I don't know how is it going to the Social Security check
ReplyDeleteRepublitard goons....................
ReplyDeleteYeah...because name calling solves real problems...smh
DeleteThe problem is that the GOP doesn't have to pass cuts to DI - just stop anything from being done to fix the problem of exhaustion of the trust fund.
ReplyDeleteName calling treats romper stomper baby dumpling congressmen
ReplyDeletewith dirty diapers like adults.............
Pass the pacifers...........
Quit throwing temper tantrums when you don't get your way.
Will the adults step up on the floor ?