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Insider's Report: Trump Administration Still Trying to Weaken Social Security in Final Days
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The Trump Administration has been trying for four years to find crafty ways to deprive workers of their Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Recent reporting indicates that the Administration is still at it — even in the waning days of Trump's presidency. Last week, The Hill reported:
"The Social Security Administration (SSA) sent the Trump Administration's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a proposal that — if similar to a version leaked earlier this year — will bar Social Security benefits from hundreds of thousands of Americans. The document that leaked suggests the proposal could ultimately prevent as many as 500,000 Americans from receiving benefits." (The Hill, 12/7/20)
Simply put, the proposal would make it harder for older workers to qualify for SSDI benefits. Under current law, SSA must consider an applicant's age in determining whether that worker "meets the statutory definition of disability." The Trump Administration's proposal would diminish age as an eligibility factor for receiving benefits.
This is just the latest of several rules by the Trump Administration targeting workers with disabilities. Most recently, Trump's SSA began finalizing two insidious new rules. One rule would replace the administrative law judges (ALJs) who decide disability appeal cases with politically motivated agency lawyers.
The second rule would add a new level of Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs), imposing an unnecessary burden on beneficiaries with disabilities to prove that they are still eligible — and may cause some to lose their benefits altogether.
Hopefully, the end of the Trump Administration will also be the end of attempts to undermine Social Security through executive action. It is hard to imagine President-elect Joe Biden, who has called Social Security a "sacred obligation," directing the Social Security Administration to make it harder for Americans to collect the benefits they've rightfully earned.
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| Good Bills |
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Next year's tiny 1.3% Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) is a huge disappointment for the average beneficiary who will see a paltry $20 more in benefits each month. It's the lowest Social Security COLA retirees have received since 2017. And the timing couldn't be worse as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate many older Americans both physically and financially.
That's why the National Committee endorses the "Emergency Social Security COLA for 2021 Act" (H.R. 8598), introduced by U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-04), which would give seniors a Social Security COLA of 3% in 2021. This emergency bill would also be a critical first step in fixing the current COLA formula which is woefully inadequate for calculating the true impact of inflation on seniors' wallets.
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| Ask Web |
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We're excited to announce that Ask Us is changing to Ask Web! That's because for more than a decade Webster Phillips — a Senior Policy Analyst for the National Committee and a 31-year veteran at the Social Security Administration — has been providing current and future retirees with the most informed and comprehensive answers to their Social Security questions. Members of Congress and their staffs routinely turn to him for technical advice on Social Security. So it's only fitting that we refer to this popular column after our resident Social Security expert!
You can either search our archives for valuable advice on a broad range of concerns or submit your question here.
This week's question is: I will be turning age 65 soon and I want to apply for my Social Security benefits. How do I do this, and what papers will I need?
Click here to read the answer.
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| Poll Results! |
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In the last issue Benefits Watch we asked our readers the following question:
Do you feel optimistic or pessimistic about the treatment of Social Security and Medicare by newly elected and re-elected lawmakers in the new year?
The results from our recent poll are fascinating, but they're only available to National Committee members! Join the National Committee today and we'll immediately give you the results of this important poll.
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Lame Duck Congress
Stay up to date on late-breaking news that could impact your earned benefits in the lame duck session of Congress. |
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Join Now
Your support sustains our campaigns in Washington to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. |
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Coronavirus
Find valuable information, essential tips and warnings about COVID-19-related scams. |
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| Trump's Latest Ploy to Deny Disability Benefits |
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The Trump administration has been trying for four years to find crafty ways to deprive workers of their Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Recent reporting indicates that the administration is still at it – even in the waning days of Trump's presidency. (December 9, 2020, www.ncpssm.org, Entitled to Know blog)
Read More →
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| U.S. could face months of vaccine shortages amid global competition |
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The United States has reserved roughly 800 million doses from six manufacturers, but it's not yet clear whether all of their vaccines will prove safe and effective enough to use. The United States could be heading for a vaccine cliff this spring, with shortages forcing hundreds of millions of Americans to wait for shots amid intense global competition for limited doses. (December 8, 2020, Politico, Sarah Owermohle)
Read More →
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| Biden Picks Xavier Becerra to Lead Health and Human Services |
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President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has selected Xavier Becerra, the Democratic attorney general of California, as his nominee for secretary of health and human services, tapping a former congressman who would be the first Latino to run the department as it battles the surging coronavirus pandemic. (December 6, 2020, The New York Times, Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Michael D. Shear)
Read More →
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| Trump's drug-card plan smacks into another roadblock |
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The White House is trying to surmount a previously unreported hurdle in its bid to make good on President Donald Trump's campaign promise to give senior citizens $200 in drug-discount cards: An industry panel says the cards don't meet the government's own standards. (December 9, 2020, Politico, Dan Diamond)
Read More →
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| Biden To Be Saddled With Trump's Payroll Tax Deferral Mess |
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Among the early decisions that President-elect Joe Biden will need to make is how to clean up the payroll tax deferral predicament that he will inherit from President Trump. Biden has several options, but some require Congressional action and none are particularly attractive. (December 9, 2020, Forbes, Shahar Ziv)
Read More →
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