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1660 L Street, NW, Ste. 700
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 783-2229 phone
(202) 783-8250 fax
www.c-c-d.org
Social Security Task Force
Social Security And People With Disabilities:
Public Education & Outreach Campaign
ISSUES
GENERAL SOCIAL SECURITY INFORMATION
Top Ten Facts About Social Security
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3261
Social Security Benefits are Modest
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3368
Social Security Keeps 20 Million Out of Poverty
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3260
Quick Answers to Common Questions about Social Security
http://www.nasi.org/research/2010/quick-answers-common-questions-about-social-security
Strengthening Social Security for the Long-Run
http://www.nasi.org/sites/default/files/research/SS_Brief_035.pdf
Social Security Across Generations: Benefit Cuts Will Fall on Today's Children and Grandchildren
http://www.nasi.org/sites/default/files/research/SS%20Fact%20Sheet%20No.01_Social%20Security%20Across%20Generations.pdf
LONG TERM FINANCING
What is the Trustees Report?
By law, the Social Security Board of Trustees must annually report to Congress on the financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds. The Board of Trustees has six members including the Secretary of the Treasury as Managing Trustee; the Commissioner of Social Security; the Secretary of Health and Human Services; and the Secretary of Labor. The President has authority to name the remaining two who serve as public trustees. Those two positions are currently vacant, but hearings were held for both nominees on July 29, 2010 and their confirmations await Senate approval.
2011 Trustees Report
A 21 page summary of the 2011 Social Security Trustees report is available at this link: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/TRSUM/tr11summary.pdf
The full 200 plus page report is available at this link:
http://www.ssa.gov/oact/TR/2011/tr2011.pdf
2010 Trustees Report
A 13 page summary of the 2010 Social Security Trustees report is available at this link: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/TRSUM/tr09summary.pdf
The full 200 plus page report is available at this link:
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/TR/2010/tr10.pdf
Trustees Report Analysis
The following documents from the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) help journalists, business leaders, policy analysts and advocates understand the key findings in the Trustees reports:
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Social Security Policy Options (July 2010)
http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=11580
This CBO study examines a variety of approaches to changing Social Security, but makes no recommendations because of the agency's mandate to provide objective, impartial analysis. A four page summary is available as well as the 67 page full report.
National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI)
Fixing Social Security: Adequate Benefits, Adequate Financing (October 2009)
http://www.nasi.org/research/2009/fixing-social-security
This NASI report examines how to balance Social Security over the required 75 year time period and at the same time, address concerns about benefit adequacy. The report makes recommendations regarding the program's long-term fiscal health and ways to make Social Security more adequate for those who rely on it.
NASI has other resources about Social Security at http://www.nasi.org/research/social-security
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
Social Security Modernization: Options to Address Solvency and Benefit Adequacy (May 2010) http://aging.senate.gov/ss/ssreport2010.pdf
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Social Security: Options to Protect Benefits for Vulnerable Groups When Addressing Program Solvency (December 2009)
http://aging.senate.gov/letters/gaossreform.pdf
By law, the Social Security Board of Trustees must annually report to Congress on the financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds. The Board of Trustees has six members including the Secretary of the Treasury as Managing Trustee; the Commissioner of Social Security; the Secretary of Health and Human Services; and the Secretary of Labor. The President has authority to name the remaining two who serve as public trustees. Those two positions are currently vacant, but hearings were held for both nominees on July 29, 2010 and their confirmations await Senate approval.
2011 Trustees Report
A 21 page summary of the 2011 Social Security Trustees report is available at this link: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/TRSUM/tr11summary.pdf
The full 200 plus page report is available at this link:
http://www.ssa.gov/oact/TR/2011/tr2011.pdf
2010 Trustees Report
A 13 page summary of the 2010 Social Security Trustees report is available at this link: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/TRSUM/tr09summary.pdf
The full 200 plus page report is available at this link:
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/TR/2010/tr10.pdf
Trustees Report Analysis
The following documents from the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) help journalists, business leaders, policy analysts and advocates understand the key findings in the Trustees reports:
- Social Security Finances: Findings of the 2011 Trustees Reports, Brief #36 http://www.nasi.org/research/2011/social-security-finances-findings-2011-trustees-report
- Social Security Finances: Findings of the 2010 Trustees Report, Brief #34 (August 2010) http://www.nasi.org/research/2010/social-security-finances-findings-2010-trustees-report
- NASI president Janice Gregory provides context for understanding Social Security and the rest of the budget in her posting in NASI's Discuss section, Social Security and Budget Deficits: Don't Lose Sight of the Facts, August 5, 2010,http://www.nasi.org/discuss
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Social Security Policy Options (July 2010)
http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=11580
This CBO study examines a variety of approaches to changing Social Security, but makes no recommendations because of the agency's mandate to provide objective, impartial analysis. A four page summary is available as well as the 67 page full report.
National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI)
Fixing Social Security: Adequate Benefits, Adequate Financing (October 2009)
http://www.nasi.org/research/2009/fixing-social-security
This NASI report examines how to balance Social Security over the required 75 year time period and at the same time, address concerns about benefit adequacy. The report makes recommendations regarding the program's long-term fiscal health and ways to make Social Security more adequate for those who rely on it.
NASI has other resources about Social Security at http://www.nasi.org/research/social-security
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
Social Security Modernization: Options to Address Solvency and Benefit Adequacy (May 2010) http://aging.senate.gov/ss/ssreport2010.pdf
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Social Security: Options to Protect Benefits for Vulnerable Groups When Addressing Program Solvency (December 2009)
http://aging.senate.gov/letters/gaossreform.pdf
FEDERAL BUDGET
Congressional Budget Office
Long-Term Budget Outlook
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/115xx/doc11579/06-30-LTBO.pdf
Long-Term Budget Outlook
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/115xx/doc11579/06-30-LTBO.pdf
SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM PROPOSALS
This section contains information about and links to proposals that include changes to Social Security.
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
President Obama appointed members of a National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to identify policies to improve the nation's fiscal situation, including ways to reduce the federal deficit by 2015. One work group is discussing issues related to mandatory spending which includes Social Security benefits. The Commission's final report and recommendations are due no later than December 1, 2010 and they will require approval of at least 14 of its 18 members. The Commission members are listed on its website at http://www.fiscalcommission.gov.
Read the Co-Chairs Final Report* Here:
http://www.fiscalcommission.gov/sites/fiscalcommission.gov/files/documents/
TheMomentofTruth12_1_2010.pdf
Read only the Social Security portion of the Co Chairs Report Here:
Commission_Social_Security_Plan.pdf
Read the summary of the recommendations of the Co-Chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform:
Bowles_Simpson_Reform_Summary_final.pdf
* The Report did not get the required 14 votes and is therefore just the Co-Chairs (Bowles and Simpson) recommendations and not recommendations of the whole commission.
The Bipartisan Policy Center
The Center http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/ is a non-profit organization formed to develop and promote policy solutions that can attract bipartisan support. Among its activities is a Debt Reduction Task Force that is exploring ways to reverse the growth of the national debt. It is widely believed that the Task Force will issue recommendations regarding the future of the Social Security program. See http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/projects/debt-initiative/about for a list of the Task Force members.
Read the Bipartisan Policy Center's Deficit Reduction and Social Security Plan Here: http://bipartisanpolicy.org/sites/default/files/FINAL%20DRTF%20REPORT%2011.16.10.pdf
Read the summary of the recommendations of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Debt Reduction Taskforce:
Rivlin_Domenici_Reform_Summary_final.pdf
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget is a bipartisan, non-profit organization committed to educating the public about issues that have significant fiscal policy impact. The Committee is made up of some of the nation's leading budget experts including many of the past Directors of the Budget Committees, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of Management and Budget and the Federal Reserve Board.
Read the Committee's Report: The Future is Now: A Balanced Plan to Stabilize the Economy and Promote Economic Growth here:
http://crfb.org/sites/default/files/Galston-MacGuineas_Plan.pdf
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
President Obama appointed members of a National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to identify policies to improve the nation's fiscal situation, including ways to reduce the federal deficit by 2015. One work group is discussing issues related to mandatory spending which includes Social Security benefits. The Commission's final report and recommendations are due no later than December 1, 2010 and they will require approval of at least 14 of its 18 members. The Commission members are listed on its website at http://www.fiscalcommission.gov.
Read the Co-Chairs Final Report* Here:
http://www.fiscalcommission.gov/sites/fiscalcommission.gov/files/documents/
TheMomentofTruth12_1_2010.pdf
Read only the Social Security portion of the Co Chairs Report Here:
Commission_Social_Security_Plan.pdf
Read the summary of the recommendations of the Co-Chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform:
Bowles_Simpson_Reform_Summary_final.pdf
* The Report did not get the required 14 votes and is therefore just the Co-Chairs (Bowles and Simpson) recommendations and not recommendations of the whole commission.
The Bipartisan Policy Center
The Center http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/ is a non-profit organization formed to develop and promote policy solutions that can attract bipartisan support. Among its activities is a Debt Reduction Task Force that is exploring ways to reverse the growth of the national debt. It is widely believed that the Task Force will issue recommendations regarding the future of the Social Security program. See http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/projects/debt-initiative/about for a list of the Task Force members.
Read the Bipartisan Policy Center's Deficit Reduction and Social Security Plan Here: http://bipartisanpolicy.org/sites/default/files/FINAL%20DRTF%20REPORT%2011.16.10.pdf
Read the summary of the recommendations of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Debt Reduction Taskforce:
Rivlin_Domenici_Reform_Summary_final.pdf
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget is a bipartisan, non-profit organization committed to educating the public about issues that have significant fiscal policy impact. The Committee is made up of some of the nation's leading budget experts including many of the past Directors of the Budget Committees, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of Management and Budget and the Federal Reserve Board.
Read the Committee's Report: The Future is Now: A Balanced Plan to Stabilize the Economy and Promote Economic Growth here:
http://crfb.org/sites/default/files/Galston-MacGuineas_Plan.pdf