Most of our Los Angeles readers have probably seen the reports over the last couple of weeks detailing the new members of Congress taking their place in our nation’s capital. For at least the next two years both chambers of Congress will be controlled by the Republican Party, and many experts expect to see quite a bit of legislation passed by both chambers and forwarded to the President’s desk. The only question then is whether or not President Obama will sign legislation into law or veto it.
So, will Social Security Disability be the focus of any impending legislation? For most political observers, it is believed that it would be hard for the Congress not to act in some way on this important social safety net. Many reports claim that the funding of SSD benefits could be in jeopardy as early as next year.
In fact, it seems that the new Congress has already taken at least one small step that could impact Social Security. One report noted that in a new rules vote the Congress has barred any attempts to switch funds between the accounts for Social Security retirement benefits and Social Security Disability benefits. This could set up Social Security Disability for changes.
Although it remains to be seen how the new Congress will attempt to fix the funding issues regarding SSD benefits, this small move early in the new session seemed to be a signal that a variety of options may be on the table. But, there are probably very few political observers who think that changes will come without a significant public debate on the topic.
Source: Forbes.com, “The Coming Congressional War Over Social Security Disability,” Howard Gleckman, Jan. 7, 2015
