“Instead of balancing the federal budget on the backs of Illinois middle class families, seniors and veterans, we can start by reducing duplicative services and rooting out waste in government,” explains Rep. Cheri Bustos whose new piece of legislation is aimed at implementing budget cuts by reducing “wasteful” government spending.
Although her bill mostly focuses on protecting and strengthening Medicare and Social Security, one can’t help but see the benefits that additional funding could do for programs such as Social Security Disability as well. And with Social Security funding expected to run out in the next twenty years, some experts in Illinois can’t help but see the promise this bill may have for future generations.
Bustos has highlighted in a report entitled Government Accountability Office 2012 a number of programs that appear to be duplicative and draining on the budget. In her report, she notes that at present time the federal government funds 47 training programs. Though incredibly helpful, she also discovered that 44 of them overlapped.
In addition to finding duplicative programs, Bustos also calls the federal government’s attention to the restructuring of certain benefits packages. Although it’s not clear at this time if she is referring to SSD benefits, many beneficiaries dependant on SSD and SSI benefits have long cried out for change in the system, pointing out that benefits rarely match with each person’s actual situation.
It is the hope that Bustos’ introduction of a new budget cut can help bring money back into the programs that really need it like SSD and SSI.
Source: The Star Courier, “Bustos introduces firs piece of legislation, spending reduction,” Feb. 8, 2013
Tags: Illinois, Social Security, Social Security Disability benefits
