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In the coming weeks, budget discussions will continue on Capitol Hill as committees in the House and Senate form proposals of their own. TSCL is hopeful that leaders in both chambers will consider measures that would improve the pharmaceutical industry and ensure access to more affordable prescription drugs for Part D enrollees. We will monitor the budget debate closely in the weeks ahead, and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website..TSCL is fighting the plan to chain down COLAs. Indeed, seniors need a COLA that more adequately protects the buying power of Social Security, and TSCL supports H.R. 776, the Guaranteed 3% COLA Act, introduced by Representative Eliot Engel..The Social Security taxable maximum is tied to the wage index, but according to the Congressional Budget Office, the limit on the amount of wages that can be taxed has not kept up with the growth of wages of the most highly paid workers. Because wages for high - income earners are growing faster than for other workers, the taxable share of the nation's earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes is falling - from 90 percent in 1983 to 82 percent in 201The trend is forecast to continue, with the CBO projecting the share of earnings subject to payroll taxation to drop to below 78 percent by 2026..I was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 which required surgery and considerable follow-up treatment. I also required extensive dental work during the year. My medical and dental expenses alone totaled more than ,000, and that does not include my husband's premiums and out-of-pocket costs, which were close to ,000. Will we be able to deduct these expenses on our income taxes? We were unable to deduct our routine medical costs last year..Never provide your Social Security number, credit card, or banking information to anyone requesting it over the phone or at your home..Social Security and Medicare are promises to our seniors we cannot break. Seniors need to know they can trust their guaranteed benefits earned through hard work will not change..Now, it has been reported that the top lawyer in the Department of Health and Human Services has warned in an internal memo that the President's plan to give seniors 0 discount cards to buy prescription drugs could violate election law..Congress still must fund the federal government for FY202They are supposed to do that by the end of September since the new fiscal year starts October But that hasn't been accomplished for the last several years and it is almost certain they won't do it again this year..Second, the end of the 2020 fiscal year is drawing ever nearer, and Congress needs to pass legislation to fund the government for fiscal year 2021, which begins on September And finally, the end of July and beginning of August, the month that Congress traditionally is in recess.