Social Security

Gibbs: Despite Titgate, Simpson 'Will Continue To Serve' On Debt Commission

Brian Beutler | August 30, 2010, 3:52PM

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

Progressive activists have one more reason to be dissatisfied with the White House. A growing coalition of groups, along with members of Congress and Congressional hopefuls, have called in recent days for Social Security foe Alan Simpson to be fired from the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Today, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said it's not gonna happen.

"Senator Simpson sent an email that he's now apologized for," Gibbs said at the daily White House press briefing today. "We regret that he sent that email. We don't condone those comments. But Senator Simpson has and will continue to serve on the commission."

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Social Security

Simpson Apologizes For Comparing Social Security To Cow With 310 Million Tits

Brian Beutler | August 25, 2010, 3:41PM

National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility co-chairman Alan Simpson

In an email to Ashley Carson, the executive director of the Older Women's League, Alan Simpson has apologized for comparing Social Security to a cow with 310 million tits.

"I apologize for what I wrote," Simpson writes.

I can see that my remarks have caused you anguish, and that was not my intention. I certainly did not intend to diminish your hard work for the Older Women's League. I know you care deeply about strengthening Social Security, and so do I, just as deeply. I remember your testimony at our public hearing in June about the importance of retirement security for women. Over the last 40 years, I have had my size 15 feet in my mouth a time or two. To quote my old friend and colleague, Senator Lloyd Bentsen, when I make a mistake, "It's a doozy!"

Progressive groups have called on Simpson to resign, and the AARP has declared that Simpson's initial remarks undermine the credibility of the White House's commission on fiscal reform, which he co-chairs.

AARP

AARP: Simpson's Remarks Cross The Line, Undermine Confidence In Deficit Commission

Brian Beutler | August 25, 2010, 3:22PM

Alan Simpson, co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

The AARP -- one of the most influential advocacy groups in the country -- isn't taking too kindly to Alan Simpson's off color characterization of Social Security: "Senator Simpson's latest attack on Social Security is offensive for several reasons, particularly for belittling a bedrock program that is the foundation of family security for all generations," reads a statement from AARP Senior Vice President Drew Nannis.

The vast majority of the 310 million Americans he insulted - particularly 156 million women and younger Americans for whom the traditional pension will be a relic of history - don't have access to the type of traditional pension retirement security that Sen. Simpson has from his decades in Congress. Perhaps that's why his comments demonstrate a woeful disconnect from or disinterest in the challenges facing many American families for whom Social Security is literally a lifeline.

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Alan Simpson

Fiscal Commission Chair Simpson Goes After Another Critic In Social Security Debate

Brian Beutler | August 25, 2010, 1:37PM

President Obama meets with the leaders of his bipartisan debt commission, Democrat Erskine Bowles, on left, and former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson, on right.

You probably already know all about how Alan Simpson, co-chair of President Obama's commission on fiscal reform, compared Social Security to a "milk cow with 310 million tits" in an angry email to one of his critics. Well, it turns out he has a bit of a habit of hitting send before thinking.

Shortly after influential progressive economist, Dean Baker wrote this post at TPM Cafe, Simpson sent him an intemperate, condescending missive as well, seemingly unaware that one of Baker's main areas of expertise is Social Security.

"I only recently came across your column Alan Simpson: A Man Who intensely Wants to Cut Social Security," Simpson wrote. "If this is the way that you do your reporting, I would think that you would have damn few fans or readers! I'm not out to 'cut' anything. I'm out to stabilize the Social Security system and so, let me share with you what Stephen C. Goss, Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration shared with the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform on May 12, 2010."

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Social Security

Alan Simspon Calls Social Security 'Cow With 310 Million Tits,' Causes Uproar

Brian Beutler | August 25, 2010, 12:05PM

The progressive group Social Security Works is calling on Alan Simpson to resign as co-chair of the White House's Commission on Fiscal Reform for comparing the entitlement program to "a milk cow with 310 million tits."

"Alan Simpson's comments are offensive and sexist and clearly demonstrate that he is unfit to continue to lead the President's Fiscal Commission," says Eric Kingson, co-director of Social Security Works. "His comments not only show his true view of women and older Americans but also his disdain for the very program he claims he is trying to protect - Social Security. Social Security Works is demanding that he resign immediately. If he will not, the President must fire him. Alan Simpson has no business deciding the fate of hundreds of millions of Americans' retirement future. He should have no power over Social Security, which provides vital economic support to millions of children and people with disabilities, as well as seniors and their families."

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Debt Commission

Source: Debt Commission Fights Over Freezing Military Pay, Slashing Benefits

Brian Beutler | August 5, 2010, 2:30PM

President Barack Obama with Defense Secretary Robert Gates (left), and Navy Admiral Michael Mullen (right)

Republicans would like you to think that Democrats have sinister plans for the post-election lame duck session of Congress, and Democrats are at pains to insist otherwise. But the one winter initiative progressives fear most is being crafted off the Hill by the White House's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Though most of the commission's work occurs behind closed doors in small working groups, early reports indicate that the GOP's unwillingness to support any significant tax increases are pushing the group toward proposed entitlement slashes and larger budget cuts.

And while Americans might expect that the commission would look at all spending, some members are seemingly using their positions to advance professional interests. A source familiar with the proceedings of the working group on discretionary spending tells TPM that some commissioners, including one military contractor, would prefer to save money by freezing military pay and scaling back benefits, rather than by eliminating waste in defense contracting.

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John Thune

Math Is Hard: John Thune's Plan To Eliminate Deficits In 10 Many, Many Years

Brian Beutler | July 28, 2010, 3:15PM

Sen. John Thune (R-SD)

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) -- the fifth highest ranking Republican in the Senate -- has a new plan for lowering deficits, and as you might expect from GOP leadership, it involves zero tax hikes. It does however, involve math and, if his appearance on Fox News last night is any indication, Thune finds math rather difficult. There's really no other way to explain his utter failure to remember the law of diminishing returns when he talked about the benefits of his deficit reduction plan.

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Fiscal responsibility

Debt Commission Leaders: Everything -- Even New Health Care Law -- On Table For Cuts

Christina Bellantoni | April 26, 2010, 10:48AM

President Obama meets with the leaders of his bipartisan debt commission, Democrat Erskine Bowles, on left, and former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson, on right.

When President Obama's Debt Commission holds its first meeting Tuesday at 10 a.m. they will consider nothing too sacred to be examined for cuts -- even the new health care reform law, the leaders said.

Former Clinton White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles (D) and former Sen. Alan Simpson (R) said on "Fox News Sunday" they can't be limited if Obama really wants to make the tough choices to cut the deficit significantly.

Simpson said the commission will use "only" Congressional Budget Office figures and not use their own projections to estimate the future cost of Social Security and health care.

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Spending

White House Insists Spending Freeze Not A 'Hatchet'

Christina Bellantoni | January 26, 2010, 3:22PM

President Obama and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

When the White House announced President Obama's new plan to freeze discretionary non-security spending at 2010 levels for the next three years, Republicans fired up the way-back machine to say it was the same idea Obama criticized when his presidential rival Sen. John McCain pitched it last year.

Similar idea, but not quite the same, administration aides insist.

At the time, Obama mocked McCain during their debates as applying a "hatchet" where a "scalpel" was the better choice. Obama aides said today they are indeed using a scalpel by not proposing an across the board cut of all government spending, and since they have made the decision with careful consideration.

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Budget

Obama Administration To Propose Freezing Non-Military Discretionary Spending

Christina Bellantoni | January 25, 2010, 8:04PM

President Obama will propose freezing non-security discretionary government spending for the next three years, a sweeping plan to attempt deficit reduction that will save taxpayers $250 billion over 10 years.

When the administration releases its budget next week, the discretionary spending for government agencies from Health and Human Services to the Department of Treasury will be frozen at its 2010 level in fiscal years 2011, 2012 and 2013.

A senior administration official detailed the move, speaking on a condition of anonymity because Obama will announce his decision during his State of the Union address Wednesday night.

The cuts would target "duplicative," "ineffective" and "inefficient" spending withing government, the official said on a conference call with reporters.

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