The Social Security Administration announced Thursday that SSI benefits for millions of Americans will increase 8.7 percent in 2023. On average, Social Security benefits will increase by more than $140 per month starting in January. While the increase is historic, inflation blunts the news for retirees, as the increase will likely not track with the cost of food and other everyday necessities. Richard Fiesta is the Executive Director at the Alliance for Retired Americans. Earlier in his career, he worked in both the executive and legislative branches of government, serving at the Departments of Labor and Interior and for Senators Barbara Mikulski and Harris Wofford. As part of our #MoneyMonday series, he joined the podcast talk about the cost of living adjustment, Social Security and other issues facing retirees. *** Follow GovExec on Twitter! https://twitter.com/govexec
Recently, President Joe Biden announced the U.S. Department of Education will cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for non-Pell Grant recipients. The announcement was a culmination of a campaign promise, though the news caused the websites of loan providers and a federal agency to crash in response to an influx of web traffic. Ben Kaufman is the Director of Research & Investigations at the Student Borrower Protection Center. Prior to joining SBPC, Ben worked as a Financial Analyst at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and in investment banking at JPMorgan. He joined the show to talk about the Biden student debt forgiveness plan. *** Follow GovExec on Twitter! https://twitter.com/govexec
Earlier this year, the White House announced a series of projects that agencies are undertaking as part of an effort to reshape how government delivers services by focusing on citizens' experiences like retirement and other life events. With the Biden management agenda's focus on customer experience, that will mean getting service to as many people as possible… in whatever ways are available. Aaron Boyd is a Senior Editor at GovExec sibling site Nextgov. He's also the author of a post on Nextgov headlined "The Low-Tech Side of Biden's Push to Improve the 'Life Experiences' with Government." which is part of a series exploring the Biden administration's push to improve citizens' interactions with government. He joined the podcast to talk about his series and CX in the Biden administration. *** Follow GovExec on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/government-executive
The Biden Administration and Congress have pledged to combat the rapidly worsening climate crisis. The inflation reduction act was passed into law with plenty of provisions all over it that address environmental concerns. As part of Goverment Executives climate summit, Ross Gianfortune spoke with Vickie Patton, General counsel at the environmental defense fund and Michael Gerrad, Director and General counsel at the Saban center for climate change law. They'll share thier thoughts on what the inflation reduction act has in store for climate policy.
Earlier this month, the federal government ended its COVID-19 public health emergency after three years. Nationwide, Americans likely may not notice the changes in the way the government treats the pandemic, but health insurance will not cover COVID-19 vaccines and treatment in the same way. Federal employees participating in the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program will see similar changes to their coverage because of the end of the public health emergency. Kevin Moss is a senior editor with Consumers' Checkbook. Checkbook's Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees is available now. He's also a GovExec contributor and his latest post is "Fed Health Care Changes and the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency." He joined the podcast to discuss the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program and the ways that it is changing because of the end of the public health emergency.