Social Security

• State of the Union: Retirees Call on President Biden to Stress That Social Security and Medicare Cuts Remain Off the Table

  February 07, 2023: The following statement was issued by Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, in advance of President Biden’s State of the Union address: “The state of the union is strong, but older Americans' retirement secu...Read more >

• Position Paper: Social Security Fairness Act

  February 03, 2023: The Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) were enacted in 1977 and 1983 respectively as amendments to the basic Social Security law. These provisions reduce Social Security benefits for public sector retirees who re...Read more >

• Democrats Debate Whether President Biden Should Negotiate with Speaker McCarthy on Debt Limit

  January 30, 2023: House lawmakers and the White House continued to spar last week over whether to include Social Security and Medicare in negotiations over raising the debt limit. President Biden has steadfastly pledged not to cut the programs, insisting that the debt...Read more >

• House GOP’s Plans to Cut Social Security and Medicare Advance

  January 17, 2023: Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said last Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Republicans don’t plan to alter benefits for current Social Security and Medicare recipients. However, at least 127 members of the House Republican Study Committee ha...Read more >

• Far-right House Members Seek Commitment that New Speaker Will Use Debt Limit to Force Spending Cuts

  January 09, 2023: Conservative rebels in the House are demanding that the next Speaker of the House commit to opposing a “clean” debt limit increase later in 2023. Their goal is to tie any vote to increase the nation’s debt ceiling to deep cuts in domestic spend...Read more >

• Wait Times Increase for Disability Benefits as Social Security Offices Struggle Financially

  December 12, 2022: State operations that review Social Security disability claims face massive backlogs, leaving Americans with disabilities waiting months and even years for judgments. To combat the crisis, House and Senate Democrats are calling for a drastic boost in...Read more >

• Kevin McCarthy Faces Debt-limit Dilemma in Bid for Speaker as House GOP Hardliners Ratchet Up Demands

  December 12, 2022: House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy is facing pressure from House Republicans to detail how he will handle the issue of raising the debt limit before they will commit to supporting him for House Speaker. A growing number of Republicans have signaled a...Read more >

• Statement by Retiree Leader Richard Fiesta on the 8.7% COLA Increase for Social Security Beneficiaries

  October 13, 2022: The following statement was issued by Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, regarding the announcement that there will be an 8.7% cost-of-living (COLA) benefit increase for millions of Social Security beneficiaries...Read more >

• Seniors Cheer Additional Funding for SSA in Continuing Resolution

  September 29, 2022: Statement by Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, regarding Senate passage of the Continuing Resolution that provides annualized funding for the Social Security Administration (SSA) that is $400 million beyond th...Read more >

• SSA Adds Safety Measures to Protect People Facing Long Wait Times, Adverse Conditions

  September 13, 2022: When the Social Security Administration (SSA) reopened its offices for in-person appointments many beneficiaries and applicants faced long waits outside in the summer heat. Over the past several weeks, the agency has taken several steps to implement ...Read more >