Social Security

GOP Rep Proposes Financing Payroll Tax Cut -- By Workers Agreeing To Cut Their Social Security

Eric Kleefeld | December 6, 2011, 1:36PM

Shutterstock/ Gunnar Pippel

Freshman Rep. Jeff Landry (R-LA) has come up with an interesting solution to the political debate over the pending expiration of the payroll tax cut: Have workers voluntarily choose whether to continue the cut for themselves -- with the tradeoff that for every calendar year they claim the tax cut, they would also cut their own Social Security, delaying the start of benefits by one month.

The Hill reports that Landry is pitching the bill as an addition to the debate over payroll tax cut's expiration, which has hinged on the fact that the payroll tax is used to finance Social Security. (Republicans have refused Democratic efforts to pay for the tax cut by raising other taxes on the wealthy.)

Many workers would likely see their taxes go up -- but that would be because they declined to cut their future Social Security benefits.

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Debt Ceiling

Tacking Right: How John Boehner Convinced Republicans To Back His Debt Limit Plan

Brian Beutler | July 29, 2011, 12:09PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

After his members dealt him a stunning defeat Thursday, and forced him, for the second time to pull and amend his plan to raise the debt limit, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has figured a way out.

Once-reluctant Republicans -- including Reps. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Jeff Landry (R-LA), and Phil Gingrey (R-GA) -- streamed out of a House GOP caucus meeting Friday morning to announce they'd changed their minds, and will now support Boehner's bill.

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Jeff Landry

GOP Rep. Snubs White House Invite: I Don't Want To Be 'Lectured' By Obama

Jon Terbush | June 1, 2011, 3:12PM

Rep. Jeff Landry (R-LA)

A freshman Republican congressman turned down an invitation to attend a White House conference with the rest of the GOP House caucus, saying he did not want to be "lectured" by the President.

"I have respectfully declined the President's invitation to the White House today," Rep. Jeff Landry (R-LA) said in a press release. "I don't intend to spend my morning being lectured to by a President whose failed policies have put our children and grandchildren in a huge burden of debt."

Obama had invited the Republican House membership to a meeting at the White House to discuss looming showdowns over the budget and debt limit. Obama will meet with the Democratic caucus Thursday.

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