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Obama to Seek Spending Boost of Nearly 7 Percent, Setting Up Fight With Congress
President Barack Obama will ask Congress for as much as $68 billion more than current budget limits in fiscal 2016, according to two people familiar with the administration’s proposal.The request sets up a fight with the Republican-led House and Senate…
Americans Deserve a Fair Shot. Government Should Get Out of the Way.
Growing up, most Americans are taught to treat everyone fairly and recognize the importance of equality under the law. Despite political disagreements and the headache of elections and campaigns, we learn that a free society plays no favorites. Most of us…
Looking forward: Hard work and bipartisanship must mark the 114th Congress
What an honor and privilege it is to return to Washington to represent the people of Minnesota’s 8th District as we begin the 114th Congress. While partisanship and politics will continue to present obstacles, there is plenty of good will…
Obama’s Bad Economic Ideas
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S economic proposals in Tuesday’s State of the Union address were a disappointment. His ideas — free community college, an enhanced tax credit for child care and higher taxes on high-income earners and large financial institutions — failed to…
Hatch: Switch Fiduciary Rule Making for Retirement Plans from DOL to Treasury
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said Tuesday the committee will work to shift pension fiduciary rule making from the Labor Department to the Treasury Department. Legislation the Utah Republican will offer would require Treasury to consult with the Securities and…
EXPERT COMMENTARY – Warning: Disability Insurance is Hitting the Wall
For years Social Security’s trustees (of which I am one) have warned that lawmakers must act to address the troubled finances of the program’s disability insurance (DI) trust fund. Congress has nearly run out of time to do so. Legislation will…
Is This Social Security Trustee Trying to Undermine Social Security?
In these parlous times when conservatives are sharpening their knives to slash Social Security benefits, the last thing nearly 60 million beneficiaries need is someone working to erode the program from the inside. But that appears to be the role of Charles…
A Capsizing Disability-Insurance Program
Trust-fund reserves will run out late next year. Obama’s solution is a bad idea, but reform is still needed. While Medicare and Social Security dominate discussion about entitlement reform, too little attention is paid to the dire financial straits of the…
Congress Spars Over Social Security, Disability Funds
Within 24 hours of the new Congress convening, Democrats and Republicans became embroiled in an entrenched battle. The subject? Social Security. The squabble began after House Republicans quietly tucked into a 36-page list of House rules a new rule that would restrict…
Disability is drain on Social Security
Disability is a waste of taxpayers’ money, Sen. Rand Paul said recently. I have seen hordes of patients come to my clinic trying to get disability or are on it. In my estimate, of the patients I see, only about…