The Fifth District Report
Ellison Leads Opposition to Entitlement Cuts in Sequester Deal
The Fifth District congressman also departed for a visit to Somalia and proposed a solution to the Asian Carp invasion.
As Democrats spar with Republicans in Washington D.C. over solutions to the nation's debt, and the nation frets over looming mandatory cuts to the federal budget, Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) and 107 other lawmakers pressured President Barack Obama to refuse cuts to national social safety-net programs. According to Salon.com , Ellison and members of the all-Democratic Congressional Progressive Caucus issued a letter opposing any reduction in entitlement benefits. The effort was lead by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), although Ellison co-chairs the caucus. The liberal lawmakers are particularly concerned that Democratic leaders will agree to changes in how Social Security benefits are indexed to inflation through a procedure known as the "…
