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We Need a Real Discussion About Reforming Social Security to Prevent Insolvency and Benefit Cuts – Not More Fake News

Key Points Social Security trust funds are projected to become insolvent in 2035. Unless Congress acts, this will trigger benefit cuts of roughly 17 percent. President Trump and Elon Musk have repeatedly claimed that improper benefit payments to dead people…

Kerrey-Danforth Commission Findings Still Need Solutions Thirty Years Later

September 4, 2024 Download PDF In 1994, President Clinton appointed us to co-chair the Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform. We were hopeful that Congress and the President would come together on a plan to put the budget on…

Means-Testing Federal Benefits and Tax Expenditures

Introduction According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the federal government will continue to face a large and growing shortfall between taxes and spending, resulting in a rising level of federal debt held by the public.[1] This debt will crowd…

Historical Tax Rates: The Rhetoric and Reality of Taxing the Rich

Introduction According to public opinion polls, most Americans believe the rich do not pay their fair share of taxes.[1] While these polls do not reveal what the public believes a fair share would be, many pundits and politicians suggest history…

The President’s Budget in Green, Yellow, and Red

On March 11, President Biden transmitted to Congress his proposed budget for FY 2025. Although a Republican-controlled House means the Biden budget has little chance of enactment without significant modification, it represents an important starting point for negotiations and is…

The Limit on Social Security Taxes and Benefits

Introduction According to public opinion polls, the most popular way to “fix” Social Security is by taxing the rich, specifically by increasing or eliminating the limit on wages subject to the Social Security payroll tax.[1] Despite the populist appeal of…


Download the pdf: Taxing-Social-Security-Benefits.pdf Introduction Prior to 1984, Social Security benefits were exempt from federal income taxes. Based on the recommendation of the 1983 Greenspan Commission, Congress enacted legislation to require Social Security beneficiaries with income above certain thresholds to pay…


Download the pdf: History and Future of the Social Security Trust Fund_ Part III Read Part I                  Read Part II Introduction Part III of this issue brief series examines how the Social…


Download the pdf: History and Future of the Social Security Trust Fund_ Part II Read Part I                  Read Part III Introduction Part II of this issue brief series explains how changes to the…


Download the pdf: History and Future of the Social Security Trust Fund_ Part I Read Part II                  Read Part III Introduction Social Security is probably the most widely discussed but least understood government…


Downloadable pdf: Social Security's Debt Limit Escape Clause Introduction Last month, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified Congress that the federal government had reached the current debt limit ($31.4 trillion).[1] As a result, the Treasury Department has undertaken traditional “extraordinary measures”…


Introduction Earlier this month the Department of Education proposed new regulations to allow more students to avoid repaying the money they borrowed to attend college.[1] These regulations would effectively turn the student loan program into a federal grant for many…

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