Today's News

Medicare Sen. Bernie Sanders said he’ll oppose any effort to raise the age when people become eligible for Medicare health coverage. Republicans in Congress have proposed raising the eligibility age from 65 to 67. They also want to reduce cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security recipients, according to an Associated Press report published by the Times Argus, Rutland Herald, Brattleboro Reformer and Bennington Banner. “We are close to I think having a $4 trillion agreement, but we have got to be strong and say we will not balance the budget on the backs of some of the most vulnerable people in this country,” Sanders said on WPTZ-TV.

Social Security Sen. Sanders invited advocates for the elderly and veterans to help him shine a light on the spending cuts he’s fighting as congressional Republicans and President Obama negotiate a deal to avoid the looming “fiscal cliff.” Sanders objects to a plan to change the formula used to calculate cost of living increases for Social Security and disabled veterans’ benefits. Adopting what is known as the chained CPI formula would result in Social Security income shrinking by $560 by the time retirees reach age 75 with continued reductions as they age, the Burlington Free Press reported.

Deficit Deal The fiscal cliff talks are being conducted almost exclusively in backroom meetings between House Speaker John Boehner's office and White House advisers such as congressional liaison Rob Nabors. Not all members of Congress have been thrilled with how the White House has handled the high-stakes negotiations. “I speak for a number of members in the Senate who say, 'Hey, we want to be involved in this discussion,’ ” Sen. Sanders told The Washington Post.

Disabled Veterans Sanders said disabled veterans would be affected by a change congressional Republicans want in the way inflation is calculated. "As a member of the veterans’ committee I will do everything I can to make sure we don't do deficit reduction on the backs of disabled veterans," he said on Vermont Public Radio.

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