President Joe Biden is proposing a plan to raise the Medicare tax on high-income Americans and push for additional drug price negotiations to fund the program through 2050.
The plan would raise the tax from 3.8 percent to 5 for those earning above $400,000 per year. The proposal is a bid to get Republicans on board with a 2024 budget bill.
"Millions of Americans have been working their whole lives, paying into Medicare with every working day, and want to know that they can count on Medicare to be there for them when they turn 65," the White House said in a statement. "The President’s Budget extends the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by at least 25 years. It achieves these gains with no benefit cuts—indeed, while lowering costs for Medicare beneficiaries.
The proposal also calls for closing loopholes in existing Medicare taxes and leveraging the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) authority to negotiate prices for high-cost drugs.
The president is set to release his full budget plan on Thursday. Medicare and Social Security account one-third of federal spending, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Concerns about their future solvency are a perennial concern in Congress.
The House is scheduled to vote later Tuesday on a measure to keep the government funded.
Thousands of people are expected in Washington, DC Tuesday for a demonstration to support Israel, condemn anti-Semitism, and call for the release of the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas.
Maryanne Trump Barry, a retired federal judge and former president Donald Trump 's oldest sister, has died at age 86 at her home in New York.
Supreme Court Adopts Code of Ethics Amid Scrutiny
Battles between Israel and Hamas around hospitals forced thousands of Palestinians to flee from some of the last perceived safe places in northern Gaza, stranding critically wounded patients, newborns and their caregivers with dwindling supplies and no electricity, health officials said Monday.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is still undecided about running for re-election.
Secret Service agents protecting President Joe Biden’s granddaughter opened fire after three people tried to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle in the nation’s capital, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is undecided about running for re-election.
Thousands took to the streets in San Francisco to protest the kickoff of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperations Summit.
