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Under current law, no legal guarantee to Social Security benefits exists, even for those who meet all required eligibility criteria. This means that Congress may enact unexpected benefit cuts or the Social Security Administration may pay reduced benefits if the necessary funds are unavailable..By US Representative Dennis A. Ross.In normal political times neither party would allow Medicare to be cut. But because of our current highly partisan times, it would require ten Republicans to join with Democrats to stop the cuts to Medicare with new legislation if reconciliation were used..Yet incredibly, despite the grim statistics, members of both parties are seeking common ground on deficit reduction, and COLAs remain the target of cuts. TSCL is fighting back and plans to deliver thousands of petitions protesting the cuts later this year..TSCL is disappointed that Congress has not yet taken action to avert an irresponsible default on the federal debt, and we urge our members and supporters to contact your representatives in Congress to request a clean and immediate increase in the debt ceiling. For updates on the status of this important issue, visit TSCL's website at, or find us on Facebook and Twitter..This week, The Senior Citizens League released its annual "Loss of Buying Power" study, which found that Social Security benefits have lost 34 percent of their purchasing power since 2000. In addition, lawmakers in the House and Senate left Washington for the holiday recess..The proposal would potentially help those enrolled in Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plans, particularly in cases where a drug is not covered by the individual's plan or, as a less-expensive alternative, when the cost of importing a drug is lower than the co-pay for purchasing the medication with Part D plan coverage. Proponents of importation point out that, over the long-term, increased competition from imported drugs could pressure drug companies to reduce their prices in the U.S. and thus help reduce costs for other drugs you may take..Learn the full cost and coverage for every drug you take: If you take more than 6 worth of prescription drugs a month, you're at risk of hitting the doughnut hole at some point during the year. The 6 is based on the full retail cost, that is what you and your drug plan pay, not your co-pays. Part D plan enrollees have an initial coverage limit of ,840 in total drug costs in 201You can learn the full cost of your drugs and whether your plan covers all your prescriptions using the drug using the Medicare Drug Plan Finder at..TSCL believes stronger protections are needed and supports legislation that would prohibit using earnings from illegal work to determine Social Security benefits. What do you think? Take TSCL's 2015 Senior Survey now.