chained CPI

The Walk to Walden’s Woodshed and Other Contradictions in the Obama Budget

Posted on 04/24/2013 by | AARP Media Relations Team | Comments

PoliticsIt’s news these days that the President has dinner with members of Congress. Had President Obama enjoyed more meals or even an occasional beverage with some members of Congress in both parties, he might have found out that putting the Chained CPI in his budget could derail his entire legislative agenda because of the passions roused in both Democrats and Republicans against the proposal.     One of the key messages coming from the White House when the President’s usual …

Chained CPI: 4 Opinions From the Press

Posted on 04/22/2013 by | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsIt’s not only politicians who have mixed reactions to a different way of calculating cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security benefits. Newspaper editorial writers and columnists are conflicted, too. The chained consumer price index, included in President Obama’s budget proposal, would mean that seniors’ checks would go up a little slower each year. The chained CPI assumes that as prices go up, consumers buy cheaper substitute goods to make up for it. Here’s how it’s playing among the mainstream press’s opinion …

Why the Chained CPI is Wrong for Social Security

Posted on 04/11/2013 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

PoliticsYesterday, the President included Social Security cuts in his budget through a proposal called the “chained CPI”. Let’s take a minute and break down exactly what that means: The chained CPI would modify the way the cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) for Social Security is calculated, cutting benefits by $127 billion dollars over the next 10 years alone. That comes out to over $2000 in lost benefits for the average senior. Some have tried to defend this unprecedented inclusion of Social Security benefit …

Illinoisans Detest President Obama’s Chained CPI Budget Proposal

Posted on 04/5/2013 by | All the news that matters for Illinoisans over 50. | Comments

Politics | Your LifeIf Chained CPI is included in the President’s budget proposal, as is being reported today, President Obama is laying out a clear marker that he is willing to cut Social Security and other benefits to balance the budget, which breaks a promise he made when he was elected to office.  On September 6, 2008, Senator Barack Obama told AARP members: ”John McCain’s campaign has suggested that the best answer for the growing pressures on Social Security might be to cut cost of …

Obama Ready to Propose Big Changes in Medicare, Social Security?

Posted on 04/3/2013 by | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsWhen President Obama’s budget arrives on Capitol Hill on April 10, lawmakers in the opposition party — in keeping with a time-honored Washington custom — are certain to immediately brand it “Dead on Arrival.” This year, however, Obama’s fellow Democrats may not be far behind. Obama is reportedly ready to propose some big changes in Medicare and Social Security — two programs that Democrats have traditionally gone to the mat to protect. As Salon’s Joan Walsh reports: “White House sources …

Cutting Benefits: Washington’s New Way to Thank Veterans for Their Service

Posted on 03/22/2013 by | AARP Media Relations Team | Comments

Politics | WorkThis week AARP highlights the financial losses veterans would face if a COLA cut known as Chained or Superlative CPI ever became law.  It seemed unlikely that after setting such a different agenda, rumors would still persist that the President wants to cut benefits for children, veterans, people with disabilities, widows, and older Americans in his budget.  If the President also thinks that making such a proposal doesn’t doom his chances to win the House back from GOP control, we …

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