The number of older taxpayers who find that a portion of their Social Security benefits are taxable tends to grow over time. Unlike income brackets that are adjusted for inflation, the income thresholds that subject Social Security benefits to taxation have never been adjusted since Social Security benefits became taxable in 198When the law was first passed, less than 10 percent of all Social Security recipients were estimated to have incomes high enough to be affected by the tax on benefits. But today, even retirees with modest incomes can be affected by the tax. .TSCL has concerns about this approach, since it would mean that Social Security's Old Age and Survivor's Insurance (OASI) trust fund would receive 0.9 percent less in payroll tax revenues, worsening the retirement program's financing. In a recent poll conducted by TSCL, this approach received virtually no support from respondents – less than 1 percent said shifting revenues from one trust fund to another would be the best way to fix the program's solvency. .According to a recent survey by The Senior Citizens League, 74 percent of survey participants favor applying the 12.4% Social Security payroll tax to all earnings. To learn more, visit . .Welcome to the month of February! This week, President Donald Trump addressed the nation in his first State of the Union, and The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) monitored negotiations at one Senate hearing. In addition, four key bills gained new cosponsors in the House and Senate. .In a statement that was released shortly after the bill's introduction, Sen. Blumenthal stated, "The seniors who spent a lifetime working to make our country stronger deserve peace of mind that their retirement years will not be marked by suffering." TSCL could not agree more, and we look forward to working with Sen. Blumenthal and Rep. Cartwright in the coming months to help build support for their bill, and to help pass it into law. .Congress already had deferred most employer payroll taxes for the rest of 2020, so the President is now attempting to defer workers' payroll taxes. This relief only applies to people who are working and collecting a paycheck. Most importantly for seniors, if the taxes were not repaid, it would move the Social Security Trust Fund more quickly toward insolvency. .Second, four new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 915, H.R. 1205), bringing the cosponsor total up to twenty-seven in the Senate and 190 in the House. The new cosponsors are: Senator Patty Murray (WA), Senator Tom Udall (NM), Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), and Representative Vicky Hartzler (MO-4). If adopted, the Social Security Fairness Act would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – two provisions that unfairly reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of teachers, police officers, and other state and local government employees each year. .In the meantime, many Members of Congress will be holding town hall meetings to address the questions and concerns of their constituents. TSCL encourages its members and supporters to attend these town halls and to ask questions of their elected officials about important Social Security and Medicare issues, like the following four… .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.