Help us stop painful benefit cuts [link removed] CALL YOUR U.S. SENATORS NOW and Help Stop Unfair Cuts to Benefits! Dear John,
Incredibly, legislation that would dramatically change the budget process and place Medicare, Medicaid and several other crucial programs at risk is expected to come up for a vote this week in the Senate!
The "Bipartisan Congressional Budget Reform Act" (S. 2765) [link removed], spearheaded by Senators Michael B. Enzi (WY) and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), would make changes to the way Congress implements budgets. If enacted, this bill would establish a fast-track reconciliation process, which could lead to deep cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance subsidies, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — all mandatory programs that are critical to the health and income security of millions of older Americans. Specifically, S. 2765 mandates that if the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates there will be a higher debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio than established in the most recent budget, it would create an automatic process that cuts programs relied on by older Americans and our nation's most vulnerable citizens. This process doesn't take into account the impact of economic downturns, which could raise the debt to GDP ratio, so that cuts could be triggered at the worst possible time — when our economy is weak or in a recession, and older people need their benefits more than ever. Had S. 2765 been in force after the fiscal year 2018 budget resolution, the CBO would have estimated that $3 trillion in deficit reduction was required ... with likely terrible consequences for Medicare, Medicaid, and other crucial programs. <span style="font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Verdana sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Verdana sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Verdana sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Verdana sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Verdana sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Verdana sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Verdana sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Verdana sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"><strong>We simply cannot afford for this legislation to pass.</strong> <em>Please pick up your phone right now and call the National Committee's toll-free Legislative Hotline at <strong>(800) 998-0180.</strong> The Hotline will connect you directly with your U.S Senators. <strong>Please tell them to vote <u>NO</u> on S. 2765 because it would fast-track deep cuts to seniors' programs in Congress.</strong></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> While the National Committee supports efforts to reform Congress' deeply flawed budgetary process, which has led to runaway spending and historic deficits, this bill would inflict more harm than good. In fact, it would set up a mechanism for those who fundamentally oppose Medicare and Medicaid to hit these critical programs with debilitating cuts — all automatically and in the name of deficit reduction. Of course, many of those who oppose these vital programs are the same politicians who voted to ram through the Trump-GOP tax cuts that mainly benefited the super-rich and exploded deficits by more than $1.5 trillion Please seize this opportunity to voice your concerns about this deeply misguided bill directly to your elected officials in Washington. It has already gained a lot of traction in the Senate, so we need you to act right now! Call your Senators through our hotline at (800) 998-0180 and tell them to vote NO on S. 2765. And please also consider supporting this must-win battle by making a donation in any amount. [link removed] Sincerely, Max Richtman
President & CEO
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