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The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Frank Pallone, Jr. has been working with the top Republican on that committee, Greg Walden of Oregon, on what measures need to be included in the next coronavirus bill. Walden is pushing for a surprise billing measure to be in the bill, but Pallone has yet to commit to it..Of the respondents, 19% said they had used bleach on food, 18% said they had applied household cleaners to their skin, 10% said they had misted themselves with disinfectant sprays, 6% had inhaled vapors from the cleaners, and 4% had drunk or gargled diluted bleach solutions, soapy water, or other disinfectants..Currently, COLAs don't keep up with typical retiree costs. Consequently, Social Security benefits have lost 22% of their buying power since 2000..During the wide-ranging question and answer session TSCL asked the Senator if legislation to lower prescription drug prices and end surprise medical billing would be passed this year. The Senator's answer was disappointing but also not surprising..TSCL understands that the budget deficit is growing out of hand. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the massive tax reform and budget bills recently adopted by Congress will cost the federal government an estimated .7 trillion over the next ten years. However, TSCL firmly believes that a constitutional balanced budget amendment, that would disproportionately impact seniors and limit the ability of Congress to respond to economic downturns, is not the solution to the problem..On Wednesday, with a vote of 236-191, lawmakers in the House passed a .7 billion spending bill that would fund DHS through the remainder of the fiscal year. They also passed five amendments to the bill that would address President Obama's recent immigration orders..A government shut down, while causing some problems, isn't as bad as breaching the debt ceiling. That's known as a "technical default," as some government obligations won't be met on time depending on how long the stalemate lasts. The Treasury Department would have to rely on whatever cash is left on hand and daily revenue inflows..Action on Capitol Hill remained slow this week, as both Houses of Congress have adjourned for the August recess. However, The Senior Citizens League did see support grow for two key pieces of legislation..Suppose, for example, that an illegal immigrant works for 13 years under an invalid Social Security number, but then gains legal status and works another 22 years under a valid Social Security number. The earnings under the invalid SSN are reinstated under the new work-authorized Social Security number because the individual kept W2s. Thirteen years of earnings would be more than enough to become qualified for Social Security. In this case, 13 years of illegal work would form one-third of the earnings that are used to determine the individual's basic Social Security benefit. This scenario isn't as unlikely as you might think. A major national pro-immigration reform advocacy organization counsels "undocumented" workers to save their pay stubs and W2s "in case their legal status changes."