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For progress updates or for more information about these and other bills that would strengthen Social Security and Medicare programs, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website or follow TSCL on Twitter..We will all know if they were able to reach and agreement and get their job done by the end of this coming Friday. However, President Trump's position on this is not clear. While Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has been in on the discussions of the legislation the President has not said where he stands..TSCL is in the early stages of understanding the full scope of the impact of COVID-19 on the Social Security Trust Fund, as we continue to work with Congressional Offices to enact legislation to boost benefits and strengthen program financing..Here is a portion of that report:.This week, following a two-day markup, the House Budget Committee advanced a fiscal 2019 budget resolution that would dramatically impact Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid if adopted. The "Budget for a Brighter American Future" includes trillion in spending cuts, and it would balance the budget in nine years..From January through March, TSCL surveyed seniors and disabled Medicare beneficiaries to learn how our readers feel about many of the proposals under debate. Almost 5,000 of you weighed in. The answers are important as members of Congress consider major changes to Medicare, most of which would make people pay more for their benefits..Sen. Enzi, one of the leading negotiators, said in a statement: "Congress is poised to approve a 10-year balanced budget for the first time since 2001, which represents an important step in confronting the nation's chronic overspending. This will help change the way we do business here in Washington to make the government live within its means just like hardworking families.".A number of innovative alternatives to the SGR exist those outlined above are three among more than a dozen. Because the options are so varied, TSCL believes that testing and evaluating different models will be a critical step in the process. A bill recently introduced by Rep. Allyson Schwartz the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act would do just that, and we look forward to partnering with her in the coming months to resolve the physician payment fiasco once and for all..The bill caps the Part B premium increase for next year at the 2020 amount plus 25% of the difference between the 2020 amount and a preliminary amount for 202The preliminary amount would be calculated the same way that it would have been without the bill, but would prevent dramatic increases that may have occurred as a result of Medicare Part B premiums growing when the COLA is so low.