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Tuesday, Feb 12, 2013 8:57 PM UTC

Will Obama address Social Security cuts in his State of the Union?

The White House said Monday that Social Security adjustments are still on the table

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Topics: Jay Carney, Chained CPI, State of the union 2013, Barack Obama, Social Security, Medicare,

Will Obama address Social Security cuts in his State of the Union? (Credit: AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

One thing to watch for in President Obama’s State of the Union address tonight: Whether or not he mentions adopting “chained CPI” as part of the budget negotiations, a policy that would mean paying Social Security beneficiaries less by adjusting the way cost of living is calculated.

On Monday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said that raising the Medicare eligibility age is not an option, but again indicated that chained CPI is still on the table. From the official transcript of Carney’s press briefing:

Again, as part of a big deal, part of a comprehensive package that reduces our deficit and achieves that $4-trillion goal that was set out by so many people in and outside of government a number of years ago, he would consider that the hard choice that includes the so-called chain CPI, in fact, he put that on the table in his proposal, but not in a cherry-picked or piecemeal way.

Groups like the AARP and the AFL-CIO, as well as progressive Democrats, remain adamantly opposed to adopting the chained CPI.

Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.

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