Larson In Trouble?

      From the Hartford Courant:

John Larson is the Social Security congressman.

Larson, 78, has built his career around Social Security as his signature issue. He says he needs to win this November so that he can become the chairman of the powerful Social Security subcommittee if the Democrats regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

But challenger Luke Bronin is criticizing Larson on his signature issue as they head toward the Aug. 11 Democratic primary in a competitive four-way race. Bronin recently highlighted that Larson was one of only four Democrats to vote in 2024 against the Social Security Fairness Act, which was later signed into law by President Joe Biden.

The measure expanded benefits for Social Security for more than 2.8 million teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public workers in an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 327 to 75. …

     There are signs that Larson may be in trouble. Is it time for him to retire? 

Laid Off By DOGE But Now Running For Congress

      From News From The States:

Democratic candidate Lauren Reinhold decided to run for Congress in Kansas after the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Government Efficiency — better known as DOGE — eliminated her federal position. …

Reinhold and Colin McRoberts, both Lawrence attorneys, are challenging each other for the Democratic nomination in the state’s 1st Congressional District in the Aug. 4 primary. The Democratic nominee is likely to face an uphill battle against  Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann of Salina, who is seeking a fourth term in a district he has handily won since 2020.  …

How Does This Sell In Alabama?

      Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL, or perhaps, the Jurassic Age) is running for governor of Alabama. One of the planks of his platform is that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme.” He can’t believe that his Democratic opponent is calling him out on this. Judging by what he writes Tuberville wants to just end Social Security period. He doesn’t suggest any phaseout or transition to something else.

President’s Budget Calls For Flat Appropriation For SSA

      The President’s budget for the fiscal year beginning on October 1st of this year is out. It calls for a flat appropriation for the Social Security Administration, neither increased nor decreased from the current fiscal year. However, considering inflation, which is heading up significantly over the next year this would amount to a significant cut in the agency’s effective operating budget.

     Don’t get too excited about the President’s budget proposal for it's merely a proposal. It’s up to Congress to pass appropriations acts. The problem with Congress is that Republican Congressional leaders aren’t all that much more interested in adequately funding the Social Security Administration than the President. The silver lining is that there probably won’t be an appropriation act covering Social Security until after the first of next year when a new Congress will be seated. That Congress may be more sympathetic to SSA than the current one.

Former Social Security Running For Office

     From News From The States:

Lauren Reinhold, a longtime federal employee at the Social Security Administration, was swept up in Elon Musk’s DOGE purge of federal employees. Colin McRoberts, a professor at the University of Kansas business school, was inspired to run for office after attending Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall’s contentious March 1 town hall in Oakley.

Both Reinhold and McRoberts believe they can overcome the long odds Democrats have faced in the district by taking aim at Mann’s willingness to support an unpopular Republican agenda.

“We were promised: ‘Things are going to be better for you.’ And I’m just one person, but they certainly were not better for me,” Reinhold said.

“I was lied to. I was told my prices would be lower,” she added. “I was told that things would be better for my kids. I was told they would fix health care. And it’s been a year, and none of that’s happened.” …

A Poll

 

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