To help Social Security and Veterans Affairs beneficiaries cope with higher prices, a group of Democratic senators are proposing to increase benefits by $200 per month for six months.
The bill — called the Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act — is backed by Democratic Senators including Mark Kelly of Arizona, Alex Padilla of California, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer of New York, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Peter Welch of Vermont.
The leaders plan to introduce the proposal on Thursday morning, according to a Warren spokesperson.
The extra $200-per-month emergency increase would boost benefit payments through July 2026, according to the senators’ proposal. The benefit boost would apply to individuals receiving benefits from Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, railroad retirement, veteran disability compensation and veteran pensions.
The proposal follows the Social Security Administration’s Friday announcement of a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for 2026. The annual adjustment is intended to help Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits maintain their buying power.
