TSCL is supportive of both of Rep. DeFazio's bills, and we were pleased to see support grow for them this week. .TSCL strongly supports legislation that would provide a minimum COLA in years when inflation is below average — such as the Guaranteed 3% COLA Act (H.R. 991) sponsored by Representative Eliot Engel (NY-16). How are low COLAs and higher costs affecting you? Let your Members of Congress know! Call 1-844-455-0045. .Early Efforts to Hold Congress to Its Promise Leads to a Notch Commission .I worked in a California city police department for 30 years and I'm now entitled to a pension. For the past 8 years, I've also paid into Social Security for self-employment earnings from a small company that I own. My accountant tells me that, in order to qualify for Social Security benefits, I should continue to work at my company and send in in two more years' worth of taxes. Will this be worth it? .Rural Americans who face unique challenges would also experience unique struggles under a one-size-fits-all healthcare plan. For years, the farmers, ranchers, and everyone living in our nation's breadbasket have endured inequitable access to quality care and medical services compared to their urban and suburban counterparts. .The bill, which TSCL supports enthusiastically, was amended this week to include a pay-for that would cover the projected cost of its passage. Since the IPAB currently has no appointed members and it has not yet been triggered to begin making recommendations to Congress, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that its repeal will have no budgetary impact over the next six years. However, it could increase spending by around .1 billion between 2022 and 2025 since it may be triggered during that timeframe. .By Representative Al Lawson (FL-05) .Raising Medicare Age Would Save 500 Billion Dollars ."The group of Democrats blocked one committee from advancing their party's drug-pricing legislation, with two members arguing it was too far-reaching and could stymie innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. Some of those Democrats also want to rein in a proposal to expand Medicare to include dental coverage, a high priority for progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)."