{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2024/12/issues/jobs-and-economy/blackburn-marshall-introduce-bill-to-reduce-tax-burden-on-social-security-benefits-for-seniors", "Blackburn, Marshall Introduce Bill to Reduce Tax Burden on Social Security Benefits for Seniors", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Republican", "Senate", "TN", "Marsha Blackburn", "B001243", "www.blackburn.senate.gov", "blackburn", "https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/news/cc8c80c1-d564-4bbb-93a4-f1d772346ae0", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) introduced the Reducing Excessive Taxation and Inefficiencies by Reforming Elder Exemptions to Support Fairness, Inflation Relief, and Simpler Taxes (RETIREES FIRST) Act to lower the tax burden on Social Security benefits for seniors.\n\n\u201cRetirees across the country depend on Social Security, especially after enduring the record-high inflation of the last four years,\u201d said Senator Blackburn. \u201cThis bill would cut taxes on seniors\u2019 benefits, helping them keep more of their hard-earned money.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Trump promised to protect Social Security and deliver relief to senior citizens by cutting taxes on these benefits. This simple action will put more money in seniors' pockets, correct a fundamental flaw in our tax system, and support President Trump\u2019s economic agenda and a promise made to the American people: No Tax on Social Security,\u201d said Senator Marshall.\n\nBACKGROUND:\n\nHistorically, Social Security benefits were entirely exempt from the federal income tax, reflecting the understanding that these benefits were funded by workers\u2019 own earnings.\n\nIn 1983, Congress passed legislation that taxed benefits for higher-income retirees to strengthen program solvency. However, the measure was only intended to impact a small portion of households.\n\nCurrent exemption thresholds\u2014$25,000 for single filers and $32,000 for married filers\u2014have not been adjusted for inflation since their creation, causing \u201cbracket creep\u201d that increasingly taxes middle-income retirees.\n\nToday, nearly 56% of retirees pay taxes on their Social Security benefits, compared to less than 10% in 1984, with this figure projected to rise further.\n\nMany retirees rely on Social Security as their primary source of income, but the added tax burden reduces their quality of life, especially as inflation erodes the value of their benefits.\n\nRETIREES FIRST ACT:\n\nThis RETIREES FIRST Act would:\n\nEliminate Taxes on Benefits for Most Retirees: Raise the provisional income threshold to $34,000 for single filers and $68,000 for married filers, exempting most middle-class retirees from paying taxes on their Social Security benefits.\n\nKeep Exemptions Aligned with Rising Costs: Ensure the new thresholds are updated annually to prevent bracket creep, preserving the value of exemptions and shielding retirees from inflation\u2019s impact.\n\nSimplify Tax Rules and Eliminate the Marriage Penalty: Maintain a single 85% inclusion rate for benefits exceeding the new thresholds, simplifying the filing process and reducing confusion for seniors. Additionally, the bill would eliminate the substantial tax penalty currently imposed on married retirees who both receive benefits.\n\nProtect Long-Term Solvency by Cutting Bureaucratic Waste: Redirect funds from inefficient government spending in the non-defense, non-veterans, non-homeland security discretionary appropriations accounts to offset revenue reductions, safeguarding the Social Security and Medicare trust funds while prioritizing retirees.\n\nClick here for bill text.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2024/12/issues/jobs-and-economy/blackburn-marshall-introduce-bill-to-reduce-tax-burden-on-social-security-benefits-for-seniors"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.593790017068386, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}