Congressman Drew Ferguson will be the new Chairman of the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee. Ferguson was not on this Subcommittee in the last Congress. Apparently, he's a mainline Republican Congressman -- an election denier who wants to outlaw abortion and same sex marriage, for instance. He was very much opposed to blocking Social Security recipients who need representative payees from buying firearms. This is what he said in the press release on his appointment as Chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee:
... As a member of the Committee on Ways and Means and House Budget Committee, I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get our country back on track with responsible fiscal and pro-growth policies. For the last two years, the radical Left’s out-of-control, big government spending resulted in an economic crisis – causing hardworking Americans to suffer with record high inflation and putting our nation on the brink of a recession.“We will reverse course and enact policies to maintain American competitiveness and innovation, economic growth, and fiscal responsibility. As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security, I will be a leading voice for our nation’s seniors, and advance solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing our country today.” ...
The problem is that for many
Republicans in Congress the only solution for any Social Security issue
is to cut benefits somehow, such as by raising full retirement age. I'm
not saying that's his view or that he'd get anywhere if that is his
view, but that's the milieu he's coming from. There's also the prevailing Republican viewpoint that since government is infinitely wasteful, cuts in agency operating budgets can have no effect upon agency service. The agencies will get by just by reducing waste. At least that's their viewpoint as to non-defense spending.
Would he be interested in working on the more mundane problems at Social Security, such as getting their phones answered, where he might make a difference? We'll see but I'm expecting hearings asking why Social Security allows people to freely change their gender in agency records and why any Social Security employees are allowed to do any work from home.
Below is the full list of Subcommittee members -- at least as announced so far. Since this list includes an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, I think there may be another Republican or two to be added.
Republicans
- Drew Ferguson, Chairman
- David Schweikert
- David Kustoff
- Tom Rice
- Jodey Arrington
Democrats
- John B. Larson, Ranking Member
- Bill Pascrell, Jr.
- Linda T. Sánchez
- Brian Higgins
- Dan Kildee
scary stuff
ReplyDeleteThe Social Security Expansion Act would keep the Social Security Trust Fund solvent for 75 years by applying Social Security payroll tax on all income, including capital gains and dividends, for people making more than $250,000 a year.
ReplyDelete“Ninety-three-point-seven percent of Americans wouldn’t see their taxes go up one penny,” Benie Sanders said.
Social Security benefits are to replace lost wages or self employment. Taxing capital gains and dividends would be a less than ideal policy. Way more than 7% of Americans have 401ks that have dividends and capital gains.
Delete@12:14: I think you need to reread the post you’re responding to. It’s discussing a proposal to tax capital gains (and other forms of income) on individuals with incomes exceeding $250,000 per year, which IS LESS than 7% of the population. Really unhelpful for you to spout off about important things without first taking the time to understand them. In fact, I’d wager such behavior is 99% of the reason we find ourselves facing this important political problem.
Delete7% of the population should not be financing the fix to SSA issues. The program is for all workers and all should play a part in saving it by changes in the tax rate for all of changing the retirement age sometime in the future.
DeleteA clarification - While not in the 117th Congress, Drew Ferguson was on the Social Security Subcommittee in the 116th Congress.
ReplyDeleteThe list of Social Security Republicans is incorrect. According to new Ways and Means Chair, Rep. Jason Smith: Social Security Subcommittee members include - Drew Ferguson (GA) as Chair, Mike Carey (OH), David Schweikert (AZ), Ron Estes (KS), Blake Moore (UT), Randy Feenstra (IA), Greg Steube (FL), and David Kustoff (TN).
ReplyDeleteHousehold names, all.
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ReplyDeleteYes the GOP members of the Subcommittee indeed will try to eliminate SSA telework. We already saw this anti-telework attitude at play with Commissioner Saul (Republican Trump nominee) when SSA suddenly ended Operation telework a few years ago.
Saul walked through a building at SSA HQ and said "where is everyone". When informed the employees were teleworking , he was of the immediate and irrational opinion that meant they were not working at all, and that telework was being abused..
There have also been recent rumblings from Republican Congresspeople that all government employees should be forced back to the offices.
Well, tough cookies. SSA and the union just agreed to a binding agreement with AFGE to maintain the current telework arrangement through 10/27/25.
Delete7% of the population should not be financing the fix to SSA issues.
ReplyDelete93 percent of all wage earners are paying FICA tax on all of their earnings. 7 percent are not. They are paying a lower tax rate that is increasingly a lower percentage as their income goes up. Ending that lower rate for those 7 percent to make the program essentially solvent for as long as we can forsee is not putting the burden on just those 7% to fix the issue. It is saying those 7% should stop getting a special break and be taxed like everyone else. And just to be clear, I am one of those that is in the 7%.
I was hoping for George Santos or Marjorie Taylor Greene
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ReplyDeleteBack when Nixon was President, there were moderate Republican congressmen who helped federal employees. The GOP needs to learn that federal employees and SSA workers are not their enemies, that we are here to serve the American public.
With the current rabid anti-federal worker mentality of the GOP, it is no wonder that almost all SSA workers vote for Democrats. We need more moderate Republicans in congress.
@11:17 that is pretty huge news. Can you post a source of that or give us some more info?
ReplyDeleteIt was just announced to the workforce a moment ago.
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