The New Republic

Social Security Is Running Dangerously Low on Cash

3 hours agoLeft

A fund used to support Social Security retirement benefits is expected to expire in 2032, according to a new trustees report released by the Social Security Administration Tuesday.The new expiration date for the Old Age and Survivors Insurance fund, or OASI fund, is three months earlier than what the SSA projected last year. The change comes as a result of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which was passed in July 2025. The bill lowered the ordinary income tax rate on Social Security benefits, which supports the funds.Seventy-one million people receive monthly Social Security payments. The AARP, a nonprofit representing older Americans, determined that Social Security provides 43 percent of seniors with a majority of their income. “Congress needs to act,” AARP CEO Myechia Minter-Jordan wrote in a statement. “Americans have worked hard and paid into Social Security their entire lives, and they deserve to count on it when they retire. No family should see any cuts to what they’ve earned in Social Security.”Social Security isn’t being scrapped anytime soon, but the OASI fund provides it with a serious amount of its money; if the fund is allowed to expire, 12 percent of retirement benefits will be lost. Social Security for one person would be cut $500 per month, on average, and in 29 states, losses would be even greater, according to research from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.Congress can move money around to fill the funding gap and even combine the OASI fund with other funds. But merging funds just means taking money directed toward one set of recipients and giving it to another—certainly not a permanent solution.While Trump has promised both on the campaign trail and in office not to cut Social Security benefits, his largest policy bill is poised to do exactly that. His administration is also pursuing legislation that would cut off disabled Americans from their SNAP benefits, after abandoning similar plans last year due to media backlash.

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Trump 'sleeping habits' draw warning on House floor: 'Grave national security threat'

Raw Story

56 minutes ago

Trump 'sleeping habits' draw warning on House floor: 'Grave national security threat'

A California Democrat took to the House floor Tuesday to declare Donald Trump's tendency to fall asleep in public a "grave national security threat" — and demanded that Republicans join her in forcing the White House to come clean about the president's health.The speech by Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove was first flagged by journalist Aaron Rupar. "In meeting after meeting, Donald Trump has fallen asleep — in public, on camera, in broad daylight, when people lavish praise on him," she said. "We cannot trust the White House on matters concerning the president's health because they are denying what Americans are seeing with our own two eyes."The speech came days after a dramatic confrontation at the House Foreign Affairs Committee.Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) played three videos of Trump apparently sleeping at official events — then told Secretary of State Marco Rubio, "You're lying consistently to Congress," after Rubio insisted he had never witnessed the president doze off."Just last week, Marco Rubio seemingly lied to Congress about this when he told my colleague that he had never been at a meeting where Trump fell asleep," Kamlager-Dove said, "despite being shown a video where the president dozed off right next to him."Trump appeared to nod off repeatedly during a December 2025 Cabinet meeting.He again seemed to be sleeping during an Oval Office coal announcement on June 4, and once more at Madison Square Garden during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 8.CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner diagnosed the president on air with "severe daytime somnolence." "He falls asleep very often," Reiner said, warning the condition carries increased risk of dementia, heart attacks, and cognitive decline."Is he sleeping in classified briefings, on calls with foreign leaders?" Kamlager-Dove asked. "How can we trust a president who is literally asleep at the wheel to make informed decisions about national security?"An April 10-13 Economist/YouGov poll found 48% of Americans believe Trump is suffering modest to significant cognitive decline.Kamlager-Dove also cited bruised hands the White House attributes to handshakes; an MRI whose target organ Trump said he didn't know; a dentist visit kept off the presidential calendar; and finasteride — a hair loss drug Trump took for years — quietly dropped from his public medication list. "The current report reflects all medications deemed clinically relevant to disclose at this time," the White House told the Washington Post.Trump previously blamed the December Cabinet meeting on boredom. "I didn't sleep," he told officials. "I just closed them because I wanted to get the hell outta here.""It is time for Republicans to wake up and join Democrats in demanding transparency from this White House about the president's health," Kamlager-Dove said. "It is a matter of national security."

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President Trump Signs the Secure America Act

The Last Refuge

1 hour ago

President Trump Signs the Secure America Act

Earlier today, President Donald Trump signed the Secure America Act in the Oval Office. The bill provides $70 billion for immigration enforcement, including $38 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26 billion for the Border Patrol, and $5 billion to cover unforeseen costs. WATCH: . The appearance of Senator Rand Paul and House Speaker Mike […] The post President Trump Signs the Secure America Act appeared first on The Last Refuge.

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Trump rips into Platner after primary win: ‘Low-level thug’

The Hill News

2 hours ago

Trump rips into Platner after primary win: ‘Low-level thug’

President Trump ripped into Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner on Wednesday, calling him a “low-level thug.” “He’s worse than any human being that’s ever run for office probably,” the president said. Platner, a progressive oyster farmer, easily won the Democratic primary on Tuesday to become the party’s candidate to face incumbent Republican Susan Collins.…

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WATCH: Trump signs the Secure America Act

WorldNetDaily

3 hours ago

WATCH: Trump signs the Secure America Act

President says Democrat policies lead to chaos and crime

Far Right

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We've seen threats to Social Security before — but it's different this time

Alternet.org

3 hours ago

We've seen threats to Social Security before — but it's different this time

Every year, the panel overseeing the trust fund for Social Security and Medicare publishes its annual financial report. And every year, its members make clear that the programs’ reserves will be exhausted by the time Gen X retires – meaning they will no longer be able to pay full scheduled benefits by the mid-2030s.While many media outlets cover this news as a one-day story, this year’s report should be seen as a much more ominous warning. The latest projection, released on June 9, 2026, is that the Social Security trust fund will be depleted by 2032, at which point incoming revenue can pay only about 78% of scheduled benefits. For the 1 in 5 Americans who receive Social Security, that means a potential across-the-board benefit cut of roughly 22% unless Congress acts.What makes this year’s warning especially troubling is that the deterioration isn’t driven by a temporary downturn but by deeper demographic and policy changes: Fewer expected births, lower immigration, slower growth in the workforce and reduced future revenue from the taxation of Social Security benefits.The fundamental challenge, though, has been obvious for years. There are too few current and future workers to support the growing number of retirees. And now, there are fresh headwinds that make the math even more daunting. Record debt levels and elevated interest rates are reducing the fiscal resources available for lawmakers to implement solutions, while declining immigration and birth rates mean that the supply of current and future workers is even smaller than previously projected.These pressures don’t mean Social Security will disappear. It will always exist as long as workers and employers pay into the program. But for anyone who expects to retire starting in the early 2030s, the potential for a cut to benefits is real. As a scholar of public finance, I argue that this looming deadline recalls the crisis policymakers faced in the early 1980s. Once again, the issue of reform is about to move from a distant worry to an immediate political problem. And failure to reach a bipartisan compromise will bring both economic pain and political damage. Fresh pressuresIn 1983, President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Tip O’Neill struck their historic bipartisan compromise to extend the life of the program by raising taxes and the eligibility age. This time, the challenge will be far harder.To start with, the federal government now carries a much higher debt burden, topping 100% of annual GDP, compared to about 35% in the early 1980s. And the Congressional Budget Office projects large deficits adding to that debt in the coming decades, with the annual budget shortfall rising from US$1.9 trillion in 2026 to $3.1 trillion in 2036 under current tax and spending laws. Public debt is projected to rise to 120% of GDP by 2036, leaving less and less fiscal room to patch Social Security.Servicing that debt is also becoming more expensive. Although the Federal Reserve trimmed interest rates in 2024 and 2025, the cost of borrowing remains elevated as concerns over inflation grow, exacerbated by oil price spikes and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Markets now expect the Fed to hold rates steady for a while, and some investors are betting it may even raise them later this year.The demographic picture is also unforgiving. Baby boomers continue to retire, Americans are living longer, and birth rates have fallen sharply. Since 2007, the U.S. birth rate has fallen by 23% and has remained below replacement level for years. The result is fewer future workers paying payroll taxes, even as the number of retirees grows. A final factor is immigration. While other aging countries have turned to immigration to shore up public finances and revitalize their labor force, the U.S. has taken the opposite approach. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, net migration to the U.S. is estimated to have fallen by 2.4 million between 2024 and 2026, amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on unauthorized migrants and its efforts to discourage green card applications. The new report referenced these challenges, noting that lower immigration and fertility estimates will have “a negative projected effect on Social Security’s financial status.” It also addressed the effects of the massive policy bill that President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress pushed through in 2025, which among other things cut the income tax that retirees pay on Social Security benefits. The near-term economic changes of that legislation will “have a positive effect,” the report said, but in the longer run it will also weaken the program’s finances.A slow-motion crisisIt’s important to remember that before the 1983 deal was sealed, Social Security was far closer to insolvency than it is today. The program was nearing the point where it could no longer pay full benefits on time.

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MAGA Congressman Fakes Call to Avoid Question on Social Security Cuts

The New Republic

3 hours ago

MAGA Congressman Fakes Call to Avoid Question on Social Security Cuts

Possible Republican cuts to Social Security was too controversial of an issue for one member of Congress to handle. Republican Representative Rob Wittman of Virginia was asked by Meidas Touch outside of the Capitol Tuesday about House Speaker Mike Johnson’s rumored plans to cut Social Security, and he immediately tried to pretend he couldn’t answer the question. Wittman grabbed his phone and started an imaginary conversation, with his phone screen clearly showing that he wasn’t on a call. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) faked a phone call for roughly 90 seconds after being asked about Speaker Mike Johnson’s comments regarding potential Social Security cuts.The phone's screen remained visible, with his cheek inadvertently tapping different parts of the display. pic.twitter.com/y3ST5AX651— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) June 10, 2026Wittman fully committed to his bit, ignoring follow-up questions and pretending to discuss a fictional appointment while walking by cars for over a full minute. When his “call” ended, he proceeded to leave the Capitol grounds. It’s not the first time Wittman has faked a phone call to avoid speaking with reporters, as he did the same thing to Drop Site News reporter Julian Andreone last week. Oh hey! He did this to me & @DropSiteNews last week! https://t.co/lR40fjKNw1 pic.twitter.com/kGs69cL9Ec— Julian Andreone (@JulianAndreone) June 10, 2026On Monday, Johnson said in a radio show appearance that “entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and things like Social Security” need to be “adjusted and fixed,” which appears to indicate that cuts are coming. Ken Martin, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, attacked Johnson on X, saying “Republicans have a plan to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid—after already passing the largest healthcare cut in history. Higher costs, less healthcare. That’s what Republicans are running on this November.” In response, Johnson accused Democrats and the media of fearmongering, claiming that Republicans are the only ones doing anything about fraud and abuse. But the GOP’s record, particularly during President Trump’s second term, shows that they have no misgivings about cutting programs like Medicare or Social Security. If they retain control of Congress after November, those cuts are almost certainly coming.

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Top DOJ official plotted to cash in on Trump slush fund: report

Alternet.org

4 hours ago

Top DOJ official plotted to cash in on Trump slush fund: report

As the future President Donald Trump's slush fund remains uncertain, a new report from Politico revealed that one of his top Justice Department officials plotted to cash in on it.The DOJ first announced the "anti-weaponization" fund as part of a settlement for Trump's lawsuit against the IRS, claiming that it would pay out to people who were supposedly targeted by the government for their political beliefs. Following a wave of bipartisan backlash to the fund, particularly over the possibility that it could pay out to Jan. 6 rioters, a federal judge in Virginia issued a temporary ruling to block its implementation, though it remains a possibility that it could be revived, even after reports that the administration was moving away from it due to the backlash.According to a Wednesday report from Politico, while the fund was still an active concern, a top official with the DOJ was planning to claim a payment from it, based on his time as a congressional staffer. The situation raised alarms at the agency, as he was set to be involved in the communication strategy surrounding the fund."The official, Patrick Davis, raised his plan to file a claim with others at the DOJ in May because he viewed it as a conflict," Politico revealed. "DOJ officials were concerned by Davis’ recusal request in part because he was responsible for communicating the department’s reasons for setting up the fund to lawmakers. Davis works as the assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, a Senate-confirmed position, and previously served as a top aide to Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa."The outlet continued: "His plan to make a claim from the fund stems from his time as a congressional staffer. He had his phone and email records subpoenaed when he was investigating 'Russiagate,' the yearslong probe into Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election and Trump’s alleged ties to Moscow. It’s unclear how much money Davis would have sought from the halted fund, if any, but the proposed fund would have also offered formal apologies."“[Davis] has relationships with the senators, and it was a very tough time for him to back out,” one anonymous official close to the situation told Politico. “In a very fraught moment, with legislative affairs and stuff with the Hill, DOJ needed to have the head of [lega] affairs involved.”When reached for comment, the DOJ told Politico that "out of an abundance of caution, Davis temporarily recused himself on a precautionary basis and after internal consultation, it was decided that recusal was not necessary for a number of reasons," while also taking the opportunity to once again smear the Russian collusion investigation as a "hoax."

Left

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Netanyahu to run for reelection after Trump questioning

Washington Examiner

5 hours ago

Netanyahu to run for reelection after Trump questioning

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party announced he would run for reelection, after President Donald Trump publicly questioned whether he would. Speculation about Netanyahu’s political future increased after Trump, the prime minister’s closest international ally, voiced uncertainty, citing the Israeli prime minister’s long career. The Likud party shut down any speculation in a brief […]

Center Right

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