House and Senate Republicans on Wednesday thwarted Democratic efforts to award $250 checks to Social Security recipients facing a second consecutive year without a cost-of-living increase.
President Barack Obama and Democrats have urged approval of the one-time payment, saying seniors barely getting by on their Social Security checks face undue hardships without the COLA increase.
But most Republicans contended that the nation couldn't afford the estimated $14 billion cost of the payment, and that the COLA freezes in 2010 and 2011 come after seniors received a significant boost in 2009.
The measure was brought up under a fast-track procedure in the House that required a two-thirds majority for passage. The 254-153 vote in favor of the bill fell short of that.
Republicans can afford $60 billion for lowering the estate tax for millionaires, but $14 billion to help America's seniors, well they can go to hell. Gotta love GOP math. If it helps anyone worth less than six figures, America can't afford it.
And this was before you guys put more Republicans in Congress to make more cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
Posts
1 comment:
The Medicare fight is going to be really interesting, as the Tea Party and the AARP will want diametrically opposite results.
Watching the GOP squirm in that love triangle is going to be exquisite.
Post a Comment