Rep. Xavier Becerra supports Social Security

[JDPriestly]

I received this e-mail newsletter from my congressman, Xavier Becerra about a week ago.

OUR BIGGEST DEFICIT IS THE JOBS DEFICIT
The best way to reduce the deficit is to put Americans back to work. Yet, as 14 million Americans continue to look for work (Bureau of Labor Statistics), the Republican controlled Congress has failed to consider a single measure to create jobs. Their agenda has focused on ending Medicare, privatizing Social Security, halting earned unemployment benefits—and threatening to stop paying the bills. Instead of promoting job creation, this agenda undermines economic growth and stability. Here’s a look at what could happen to the job market if the Republican agenda became the law of the land:

Repealing health care reform (H.R. 2) could eliminate up to 400,000 jobs annually (Center for American Progress).
The 2011 spending bill (H.R. 1) put 700,000 American jobs at risk (Mark Zandi / Moody’s Analytics).

The 2012 “Ryan Budget” (H. Con. Res. 34) would end Medicare and cost 1.7 million Americans their job (Mark Zandi / Moody’s Analytics).

Ending the federal guarantee of extended unemployment insurance (H.R. 1745) for the long-term unemployed could throw the families of up to 4 million Americans who are out of work through no fault of their own into poverty (Ways and Means Committee).
SHORT TAKES – WASHINGTON, D.C.

REP. BECERRA LEADS DEMOCRATIC HOUSE MEMBERS IN CALLING OUT PLAN TO CUT SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS

On June 22, Rep. Becerra, the highest ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, organized a press conference with fellow Democratic members of Congress to call attention to recent proposals to reduce the Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for retired and widowed Americans in order to reduce federal budget deficits. A new analysis by Social Security’s Chief Actuary of a proposal to base COLAs for current and future retirees and widows to a “chained Consumer Price Index (CPI)” found that the result would be the older you get, the bigger the cut:

. . . .

At the press conference, Rep. Becerra said: “The budget deficits we face were created principally by the unpaid for Bush tax cuts, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Bush Recession—not Social Security. In fact, Social Security has never added a dime to our deficits. Yet, we are now seeing Republican proposals that target seniors and widowed Americans with cuts to their hard-earned benefits to pay for these past policy mistakes. It is unconscionable to make a radical change to the COLA—so that the older you get, the bigger the cut—in order to prop up irresponsible tax cuts for oil companies and billionaires. Let’s reduce the deficit responsibly, not on the backs of seniors and widows.”

Congressman Becerra is right. I'm proud to say that he is my congressman.

The quotes are from an e-mail and newsletter to constituents.

If you want to know more, here is a link to Becerra's website.

http://becerra.house.gov/