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West Michigan Congressional leader testifies before House Budget Committee outlining Fiscal Commission Act of 2023

U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland, MI-2)
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland, MI-2)

It’s estimated Social Security will become insolvent in 10 years. U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga proposed a bipartisan bill for saving the retirement benefit.

“Social Security will become insolvent by 2034, forcing a 23% mandatory cut.”

That’s U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga testifying before the House Budget Committee.

“Medicare Part A will be depleted by 2031, even sooner than Social Security, resulting in an 11% cut.”

To save it and reign in the national debt now at $33.8 trillion, the Zeeland Republican is introducing the bipartisan Fiscal Commission Act of 2023.

A 16-member commission including 12 members of congress, as well as four private sector experts selected by leaders of both the House and the Senate. It will craft a package of short and long-term recommendations.

“For any recommendations related to federal programs for which a federal trust fund exists, the Commission must improve their solvency for a period of 75 years.”

“The longer we wait the more expensive and more difficult those choices will be and the more likely cuts will be.”

U.S. Representative Scott Peters is a Democrat from California and co-chair of the Bipartisan Fiscal Forum.

“Now we are coming up on the precipice of the actual cuts to seniors that are going to take effect across the board. We have to act if we want to save these programs and if we don’t, we will lose them.”

Huizenga says the commission must vote to report its proposal to Congress in the first week after the 2024 election.

Patrick joined WGVU Public Media in December, 2008 after eight years of investigative reporting at Grand Rapids' WOOD-TV8 and three years at WYTV News Channel 33 in Youngstown, Ohio. As News and Public Affairs Director, Patrick manages our daily radio news operation and public interest television programming. An award-winning reporter, Patrick has won multiple Michigan Associated Press Best Reporter/Anchor awards and is a three-time Academy of Television Arts & Sciences EMMY Award winner with 14 nominations.