The Biden-Harris Administration unveiled its fiscal year 2025 budget on Wednesday, focusing on critical investments aimed at enhancing the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) operations and advancing equity in access to its programs.
The proposed budget underscores the administration’s commitment to protecting and strengthening Social Security benefits. It opposes any cuts to benefits and privatization proposals, instead advocating for fair contributions from the highest-income Americans to safeguard the system. Additionally, the administration aims to improve benefits for seniors and individuals with disabilities, especially those facing financial hardships.
Key Social Security Changes Proposed For 2025:
- Establishment of a national paid family and medical leave program administered by SSA
- Significant investment to improve customer service at SSA field offices
- Advancing equity and accessibility within SSA programs
- Funded, in part, by an increase in taxes on billionaires and corporations
A significant portion of the budget, totaling $15.4 billion in discretionary budget authority, is allocated to enhance service delivery at SSA. This includes bolstering customer service at field offices, State disability determination services, and teleservice centers. The goal is to reduce wait times and improve access for retirees, individuals with disabilities, and their families.
The 2025 government funding proposal includes tax hikes on billionaires, corporate profits and other proposals that were in the 2024 budget, which has yet to be approved six months into the fiscal year. Last month, lawmakers struck a deal on a $460 billion bill to fund half of the government for the rest of the fiscal year which ends on March 22.
The proposed 2025 fiscal budget also prioritizes advancing equity and accessibility within SSA programs. According to the White House, efforts will be made to reach underserved communities, individuals with low income, limited English proficiency, mental and intellectual disabilities, and those experiencing homelessness. Investments in IT infrastructure aim to provide a more equitable and accessible experience for customers while reducing manual processes for employees.
Perhaps the most notable proposal is the establishment of a national, comprehensive paid family and medical leave program administered by SSA. This initiative seeks to provide progressive, partial wage replacement for up to 12 weeks to eligible workers for various family and medical reasons, including caring for a new child, a seriously ill loved one, or addressing circumstances related to domestic violence or stalking.
According to the Committee for Responsible Federal Government, “The President’s budget encouragingly pays for new initiatives and reduces deficits. However, it falls short of proposing the necessary deficit reduction that is needed to put the nation on a sustainable fiscal path and fails to recognize the immense cost of extending expiring tax provisions. It includes important measures to improve Medicare solvency and sustainability but fails to say how it would avoid Social Security insolvency. Still, the proposed $3.3 trillion of net deficit reduction would represent an important step toward long-term fiscal sustainability.”
The proposed budget is evidence of the Biden Administration’s efforts to bolster Social Security and reduce the deficit through measures that curb wasteful spending and ensure fair contributions from the wealthy. It remains to be seen which changes make it through Congress and into the final 2025 federal budget.
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