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Action programs of government intended to promote the welfare of the population through assistance measures
A consistent set of reports finds that undocumented (commonly called “illegal”) immigrants paid roughly , and multiple analyses warn that changes in enforcement or data-sharing could reduce compliance...
Federal retirees will see the 2026 COLA reflected in the January 2026 annuity payment (the payment for December), and agencies say any retroactive amount for the period between the COLA effective date...
About 17–18% of the U.S. population is age 65 or older in recent years, rising from roughly 55.8 million in 2020 to about 58–61 million by 2022–2024, and projected to reach roughly 22–23% by 2050 . Co...
President Bill Clinton presided over a period in which the federal government recorded budget surpluses in fiscal years 1998, 1999, 2000 and part of 2001, meaning the budget was effectively “balanced”...
VHA’s 2025 payments landscape shows both statutory benefit rate updates (Special Monthly Compensation, DIC, and other VA allowances effective Dec. 1, 2024 or Oct. 1, 2024) and separate personnel pay c...
You can ask Social Security to lower your 2025 IRMAA if a life-changing event after the tax year used for your 2025 determination caused a substantial income drop — common examples listed by SSA inclu...
The United States population is reported in recent sources as roughly between 341 million and 348 million people in 2025: the U.S. Census Bureau projection cited by Newsweek places the population at a...
The Medicare Part B annual deductible for 2025 is $257; after beneficiaries pay it once per year, Medicare generally covers 80% of approved Part B services and beneficiaries owe 20% coinsurance unless...
Members’ pensions are calculated from three inputs: the retiree’s high‑3 average salary, years of service (prorated by months), and an accrual rate that depends on which system covers the member (CSRS...
A member of Congress must serve at least five years to be eligible for any retirement annuity, and different rules apply depending on whether they’re in CSRS or FERS and on when they were first covere...
The IRS published inflation-adjusted federal income tax brackets and numerous MAGI-based phaseouts and contribution limits for tax year 2026; key MAGI thresholds that reporters and advisors highlight ...
The most reliable headline measure for 2025 shows U.S. consumer prices rose roughly 3.0 percent over the year: the Joint Economic Committee summary reports CPI-U inflation for fiscal year 2025 at 3.01...
The national debt has continued to rise into 2025—recent public reporting pegs gross national debt near $38.09 trillion as of early November 2025, up roughly $2.18 trillion year‑over‑year . Available ...
About 61.2 million Americans were age 65 or older in the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2024 estimates — roughly 18.0% of the U.S. population (data reported for 2024 and cited across 2025 reporting) . Availa...
George W. Bush did not secretly siphon cash out of Social Security and spend it directly on the Iraq War; by law surplus payroll receipts were invested in special Treasury bonds and the Treasury used ...
The Republican health‑care agenda for 2024 centers on that favor block grants, work requirements, and more limited subsidies. Analysts describe this set of priorities as a mix of regulatory fixes—like...
The 2025 federal pay action for General Schedule (GS) employees was an average 2.0% increase—a 1.7% across‑the‑board base raise plus roughly 0.3% in locality adjustments—effective January 2025 . Infla...
Undocumented immigrants in the U.S. routinely pay the same categories of taxes as other residents — payroll (Social Security and Medicare), income, sales, property and excise taxes — often by using an...
The VA calculates “countable income” differently depending on the program: VA health-care means tests compare a veteran’s countable household income and net worth to geographically based thresholds an...
The official 2026 retiree COLA was publicly announced in October 2025 and takes effect December 1, 2025 with higher annuity payments appearing in January 2026 for beneficiaries . Operational implement...