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    Disability and Unemployment: Putting an End to Double-Dipping

    The number of people on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) reached a record high this year. But a large number of people are double-dipping from both the disability insurance (DI) and unemployment insurance (UI) programs. A bill introduced last week would put an end to these overpayments, which unnecessarily drain the … More

    Four Words to Watch in the Immigration Debate

    The Senate will begin debate on the Gang of Eight’s immigration proposal next week. Here are four words to watch out for as the Senators make their case—and warnings about what they might mean. 1. COST “Cost” is one word that should come up in the immigration debate, because the … More

    Social Security’s Unfunded Obligation Rises by $1 Trillion

    Contrary to claims by cheerful news sources, Social Security’s deficit outlook is not “unchanged” or “no worse.” Social Security’s unfunded obligation rose by $1 trillion according to the latest trustees’ report. U.S. taxpayers now owe $12.3 trillion to pay scheduled benefits—in addition to what Social Security can hope to collect … More

    Amnesty Would Worsen the Entitlement Burden

    A new study published in Health Affairs looks at the impact of immigrants’ payments into the Medicare trust fund and concludes that immigrants pay more into the fund than they draw out. Reading just the headline of a recent media report, “Study: Immigrants put billions more into Medicare than they … More

    Morning Bell: Time to Shrink the Monster

    Does the debt ceiling affect YOU? It does—in many ways. A new video by Bankrupting America uses humor to call attention to an issue that is anything but funny, and why it matters for every American household. Recent Heritage research reveals how the rising national debt hurts American families, including: … More

    Social Security Benefits and Cost of Living: Protecting Against Inflation

    Adopting the chained CPI (Consumer Price Index) in Social Security to more accurately account for changes in the cost of living is a small first step toward fixing a broken program that is currently accelerating its own demise by paying excess benefits. Fifty-seven million Americans receive Social Security benefits, and … More

    Morning Bell: Amnesty Would Cost Taxpayers $6.3 Trillion

    What is the goal of immigration reform? As Heritage President Jim DeMint put it yesterday, “Any immigration reform should improve the lives, the incomes, and the opportunities” of those who are lawfully in America. The Gang of Eight’s amnesty proposal does the opposite by burdening taxpayers with supporting unlawful immigrants. … More

    Critics Looking at Old Data Instead of New Heritage Research on Amnesty

    Some proponents of comprehensive immigration reform (including amnesty) are trying to find support for their position in Heritage Foundation papers from long ago. In the first paper they point to, from March 2006, Heritage rejected amnesty but also considered the economic effects of immigration. Since that time, there are two … More

    Morning Bell: 5 Ways the Immigration Bill Is Like Obamacare

    Congress rammed Obamacare through without many Members even reading the bill. Now it’s applying that same frantic, complex, pie-in-the-sky legislating to immigration. The similarities are frightening. 1. Extreme Costs The Government Accountability Office now projects that under the most realistic scenario, Obamacare will add $6.2 trillion to the primary deficit … More

    Temporary Debt Paydown Just a Drop in the Bucket

    Reports that the federal government will put a little bit of money toward the massive federal debt for the first time in six years make for an interesting tidbit, but Washington’s spending and debt problem is only getting bigger. The Wall Street Journal reports, “The Treasury Department said that it … More