Red and blue state Senators come together to stop the Chained-CPI
by digby
I've got some good news for you. Some Democrats in the Senate are awake to the fact that voting for the Chained-CPI is a recipe for losing their jobs and making a mockery out of everything the Democratic Party has stood for for the last 60 years:
A resolution introduced in the U.S. Senate today expresses the sense that Congress should not use the Chained Consumer Price Index to calculate cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security or benefits to disabled veterans or their families. The resolution was introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) with the support of Senators Mark Begich (D-AK), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Al Franken (D-MN), Kirsten Gilibrand (D-NY), Kay Hagan (D-NC), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D - OR), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D - HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
“There is nothing more unfair or inappropriate than cutting benefits for seniors and veterans who have become disabled as a result of their service to our country,” said Harkin. “Adequate annual Cost of Living Adjustments are critical for the millions of Americans who rely on these benefits to make ends meet. The truth is that the way we currently calculate COLAs is already inadequate to keep up with rising medical costs. The Chained CPI would take us even further in the wrong direction by directly cutting benefits for millions of Americans. This resolution expresses our steadfast opposition to doing so.”
There are more signing on every day. So it's probably a good time to make a call to your Senators and if they've signed on, offer your thanks. If they haven't, tell them you'd really, really appreciate it if they'd sign on too. (Even Republicans. I have no doubt that making this a bipartisan resolution would be very helpful.)
This is important. Boehner can't pass this in the House with Republicans. In fact, he would need Democrats to be in the majority. And if recent history is any guide, he absolutely needs for the Senate to pass this thing with a bipartisan majority before he can even bring it to the floor.
I didn't know if we had a hope of stopping this in the Senate but from the looks of that list --- not all liberals, by any means --- we might be able to get it done. And that will probably kill this beast.
Update: looks like somebody hit a nerve:
WASHINGTON, April 24, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Reaching agreement on a comprehensive debt deal will require consideration of all options and compromises by both sides, and taking proposals off the table makes a deal harder. Chained CPI is a technical change that would help improve the budget situation and strengthen Social Security, and it has the support of President Obama as well as experts across the country. It is irresponsible and counterproductive to take a common sense and bipartisan option off the table."
For more information about the Campaign to Fix the Debt, please visit www.fixthedebt.org.
Boo hoo.
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