Young, Black, Hispanic Americans Would Opt Out of Social Security Even If It Weren’t Broken

I pull the following directly from the summary of the 2024 annual reports of the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees: The Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund (that is, Social Security) will be able to pay 100% of total scheduled benefits until 2033, unchanged from last year’s report. At that time, the fund’s reserves will become depleted and continuing program income will be sufficient to pay 79% of scheduled benefits. Our Social Security system is broke. Now, if you own stock in a company, and you read…

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Social Security Administration urging budget anomaly to avoid ‘devastating’ impacts

The Social Security Administration is ringing alarm bells over what would be “devastating” impacts of flat agency funding, as Congress looks to hammer out a continuing resolution by the end of the month and avoid a government shutdown. During a hearing Wednesday, SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley urged lawmakers on the Senate Budget Committee to include the White House’s full fiscal 2025 budget request of $ 15.4 billion for SSA operations as a budget anomaly in the case of a stopgap spending agreement. Currently, SSA is operating under a budget of…

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Why you need a strategy when it’s time to claim Social Security benefits

Social Security taxes start automatically the day you start working. But when the time comes you have got to file an application to get your benefits. When to file? Well, it’s not that simple. You need a “strategy.” To look at some of those important considerations,  the Federal Drive with Tom Temin  talked with federal retirement expert Tammy Flanagan. Interview Transcript:  Tammy Flanagan Tom. I’m glad to be back. And this is a very important topic. A lot of people ask about claiming, and a lot of people have opinions.…

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Oregon senator urges Biden to fire Social Security IG

President Joe Biden is getting calls to remove the top watchdog at the Social Security Administration. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said he’s “lost confidence” in SSA Inspector General Gail Ennis, and he is calling on the president to fire her. Wyden said the IG office during her tenure has been hit with complaints of a hostile work environment, falling productivity and a drop in employee morale. The Merit Systems Protection Board recently found Ennis and her leadership team retaliated against an employee for blowing the whistle on…

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Congressional repeal of Social Security’s ‘evil twins’ nears finish line

The possibility of repealing Social Security’s so-called ‘evil twins” is closer than ever to the finish line. There are now 303 House cosponsors on the Social Security Fairness Act. It is the second highest number of cosponsors on any pending bill in all of Congress. If enacted, the legislation would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). The two provisions reduce, and in some cases eliminate, Social Security benefits for certain federal retirees. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) is urging the…

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TikTok Threatens America’s Social Fabric, Tech Policy Expert Says 

The American public needs to know how egregious of a threat the Chinese-owned TikTok app poses to our nation’s social fabric, the director of the Tech Policy Center at The Heritage Foundation says.   In a conversation Tuesday with Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts on “The Kevin Roberts Show” podcast, Kara Frederick discussed what TikTok’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party mean for the everyday American ahead of the TikTok CEO’s appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday.   “It’s extremely problematic, because that parent company, ByteDance, headquartered…

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