federal budget

Will the Obamas All Get Tattoos?

Posted on 04/25/2013 by | News | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsOn the April 24 “Today” show, President Obama laid out the strategy he and Michelle have devised to discourage their daughters from getting tattoos. “What we’ve said to the girls is, ‘If you guys ever decided you’re going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will get the exact same tattoo in the same place. And we’ll go on YouTube and show it off as a family tattoo,” Obama told Savannah Guthrie in a taped interview. “And our thinking …

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 …

Congress Nibbles at Obama’s Budget

Posted on 04/18/2013 by | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsNow it’s Congress’ turn. Last week President Obama made his budget proposal, and lawmakers on Capitol Hill already have begun trying to bend it to their will. On April 18, in fact, the House Ways and Means Committee will take up one of the most controversial pages in the budget book: the proposal to change the way that benefits under Social Security and other federal programs are adjusted for inflation. The “chained consumer price index,” or chained CPI, would mean …

The 3 Budget Plans: How Do They Stack Up?

Posted on 04/18/2013 by | News | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsNow that President Obama has sent his 2014 budget proposal to Congress, three blueprints for the nation’s fiscal future are on the table. The other two are sharply divergent plans drafted by the lawmakers who chair the congressional budget committees: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). The Republican-controlled House passed the Ryan budget on March 21; the Democratic-controlled Senate passed the Murray budget two days later. We surveyed news accounts and nonpartisan analyses to pull together the …

4 Ways Obama’s Budget Would Change Medicare

Posted on 04/15/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal Health | PoliticsAdapted from an article by Mary Agnes Carey, Senior Correspondent, Kaiser Health News President Barack Obama’s fiscal 2014 budget includes a variety of what he says are “manageable” changes for Medicare’s 54 million beneficiaries as well as for the hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers that serve them. That assessment has drawn concern from some patient and provider groups that, although recognizing the need to address the nation’s rising health care costs, say seniors shouldn’t bear the brunt …

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 …

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