News

TSCL joins voices with Chairman Sam Johnson in urging President Trump to nominate a Social Security Commissioner immediately. To stay updated on the nomination and confirmation process in the months ahead, visit the Legislative News section of our website every Friday morning..TSCL Calls Seniors To Action.During our slow, arduous economic recovery that followed the financial crisis and recession of 2008 and 2009, many government programs, Social Security in particular, were stretched to the limit. A number that made headlines last year was the Social Security Trustees' estimate that the Social Security trust funds would run a billion cash deficit in 20Most of the time when the Social Security trust fund is referred to, we mean two trust funds - the old-age and survivor's insurance trust fund, that pays retirement and widows benefits, and the disability insurance trust fund..This week, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill to begin the "lame duck" session of Congress. Those in the Senate plus Republicans in the House held leadership elections for the 116th Congress. In the Senate, key leadership positions will remain largely unchanged in 201Senator Mitch McConnell will once again serve as the Senate Majority Leader, while Senator Chuck Schumer will remain the Minority Leader in the 116th Congress..President Obama recently announced a series of Executive Actions to protect an estimated 4.9 million illegal immigrants from deportation. This month the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service is expected to start taking applications as hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants begin to apply for deportation relief, work authorization, and Social Security numbers..Although there's a new higher standard deduction for U.S. taxpayers this year, tax professionals are cautioning taxpayers against automatically taking it. The 2017 tax legislation retains the deduction for medical expenses. This year, taxpayers can deduct medical expenses exceeding 7.5% of their Adjusted Gross Income, but that threshold will rise to 10% of the AGI in 2019, so taxpayers won't be able to deduct as much. It would be a good idea to crunch the numbers now, to learn if itemizing and the medical expense deduction would reduce your taxes..Before 2020 came to an end, a new forecast from the Congressional Budget Office confirmed that Medicare's Part A Hospital Insurance trust fund is running out of money two years earlier than previously expected. The CBO's forecast indicates that there will be insufficient funds to cover all Part A benefits beginning in 2024 - less than 3 years from now..The Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011 was passed by a House panel this week. The bill was previously approved by the House Ways and Means Committee and is now scheduled for a House floor vote..I'm 60 and I buy my own health insurance. Would I qualify for the new Obamacare health insurance exchanges? How much would I pay? I paid 1 per month this year, but I have a ,000 deductible with a ,000 annual maximum to keep my premiums affordable. My husband is getting Medicare and we depend on his Social Security for most of our income.