Tag Archives: Congress

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Did you hear … that some members of Congress plan to cut Social Security?


National Women's Law Center
Have you heard about the plan to cut Social Security? If you haven’t, here’s what it looks like:
Step 1: Talk about the plan behind closed doors
Step 2: Claim to not be cutting Social Security benefits, just adjusting the Consumer Price Index
Step 3: Keep the public in the dark with technical language such as “chained CPI”
Right now this is EXACTLY what some members of Congress are doing. They’re looking for additional programs they can cut to reduce the deficit, and Social Security is on the table. They’re looking at a stealth way to cut Social Security benefits: by switching the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to a new measure of inflation, the chained CPI.
The chained CPI would cut Social Security benefits by reducing the annual cost-of-living adjustment — and the value of benefits — every year. These cuts start small, but get deeper every year. The older you get, the deeper the cut from the chained CPI.
That’s why we need your help to educate the public. Will you help share this important message? The image below explains what these cuts would really mean.
Infographic - Stealth cuts to Social SecurityPlease spread the word!

Why are we so worried? This stealth plan to cut Social Security would be a triple whammy to women:

  1. Since women live longer than men on average, they would face deeper cuts in their Social Security benefits.
  2. Elderly women rely more on income from Social Security, so these cuts would represent a larger share of their total income in retirement.
  3. Since older women are already more economically vulnerable, these cuts would leave many of them unable to meet basic needs.

We are worried about women like Jeannette, from Medford, Oregon. She worked her whole life, up until she was 73, but has no pension. Her only income, apart from a little help from her adult children, is her Social Security check. She described to us how she manages.
“I’m a very frugal person. Always have been. I don’t have cable…that’s a luxury. I shop for food very carefully, too. I can’t afford meat anymore, but every once in a while if I see a great bargain, I’ll splurge on a small piece of meat. There’s a special discount cheese that I like. I make very thin slices…. I’m careful about keeping my clothes in good condition. I know that I don’t have the option to buy new ones.”
Jeannette’s story is not unique. She is one of millions of women who rely on Social Security to survive. And she can’t afford ANY cuts to her Social Security. And this is exactly why we need your help.
Please help spread the word by sharing our new graphic today.
Sincerely,
Joan Entmacher Joan Entmacher Vice President, Family Economic Security National Women’s Law Center   

P.S. Do you or a loved one have a Social Security experience that you can share? Add your story to our storybank! Stories help our advocacy efforts by putting a face on programs that make a difference in women’s lives.
P.P.S. Please help us continue to advocate for policies that protect and improve economic security for women and their families by making a generous donation today.
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Denny Heck for Congress : and the Middle Class


Today’s a big day for our campaign. 

It’s about getting Congress back to work on fixing our economy and it won’t look like other political ads you’ll see this year.

Since he started this campaign last year, Denny has been talking about the importance of getting Congress focused on working together to help the middle class and those working to get into it.  And he’s done so with a clear, positive message. Those same values and attitude – and a bit of humor – went into making this ad.

I hope you like our first ad. I hope you like it enough that you’re willing to make a contribution of $5, $10, or $25 today to keep it on the air. We need to raise $11,233 by Sunday to finish out our ad buy, and we can only do it with your support.


29 days to go. Let’s Give Congress Heck!
-Hart Edmonson Campaign Manager

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Weekly Address: Congress Should Keep America Moving Forward


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In this week’s address, President Obama says that Congress should act to keep our nation moving forward by keeping taxes low for 98 percent of Americans, cutting red tape so responsible homeowners can save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage by refinancing at lower rates, and creating a veterans jobs corps to help our returning heroes find work.

Weekly Address: Congress Should Keep America Moving Forward

In this week’s address, President Obama says that Congress should act to keep our nation moving forward by keeping taxes low for 98 percent of Americans, cutting red tape so responsible homeowners can save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage by refinancing at lower rates, and creating a veterans jobs corps to help our returning heroes find work.

In October, the White House is working to recognize a range of important causes:

Energy Datapalooza: On Monday, the White House hosted an Energy Datapalooza highlighting private-sector entrepreneurs and innovators who are using freely available data from the government and other sources to build products, services, and apps hat advance a secure and clean energy future.
MRAP Task Force: Also on Monday at the Pentagon, the Vice President commemorated the achievements of the Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle (MRAP) Task Force—the men and women who helped accelerate the production and fielding of protective vehicles to our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, saving the lives of thousands of Americans. Learn more about the MRAP achievement here.
Educating the Educators: On Wednesday, Dr. Jill Biden announced that more than 100 colleges have signed on to Operation Educate the Educators, a partnership between the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and Military Child Education Coalition. To learn more, read Dr. Biden’s blog post about this major milestone.
The Employment Situation in September: Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest jobs report, showing that private sector establishments added 104,000 jobs last month, and overall non-farm payroll employment rose by 114,000. The economy has now added private sector jobs for 31 straight months. For more information, read Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors Alan B. Krueger’s blog post.
Equal Futures: Last week, the United States, along with 12 other founding nations, announced Equal Futures, a new partnership between the U.S. and other nations to advance the rights and opportunities of women and girls. Today, the White House hosted a special Office Hours session with Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President and Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls and Samantha Power, Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs, to answer questions about how the Obama Administration is working to empower women and girls through the Equal Futures Partnership. See what you missed during the live Q&A on Twitter here.

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Tell Congress – This Is Personal


WILD HORSES?

Some members of Congress are working overtime trying to place restrictions on women’s reproductive health care.

This January, a new Congress, including many newly elected members, will get to work. Lawmakers either can set a new, positive agenda on women’s health, or they can spend another two years trying to limit your ability to make decisions about your own reproductive health.

If women speak up now –loudly and in one voice – we can send the message that decisions about our reproductive health are not up for debate.

Sign the petition today and tell the new Congress: This Is Personal.

Our Message to the Incoming Congress:     www.thisispersonal.org

Decisions about women’s reproductive health are personal.  As you prepare to take office in 2013, my decisions about birth control, pregnancy and reproductive health services are not up for grabs.

Leila Abolfazli
Senior Counsel
National Women’s Law Center