J. Exon: “I cannot support a broad CPI adjustment that does nothing to protect the very neediest. I also point my colleagues to…”

“I cannot support a broad CPI adjustment that does nothing to protect the very neediest. I also point my colleagues to the fact that those areas where a firm scientific consensus exists about CPI bias have already been incorporated into the budget baselines both of the Office of Management and Budget and the Congressional Budget Office. So the changes that have been suggested by the bureau are already in place. It is being suggested here that we add 0.5, a half of 1 percent, on top of that. That is where I think we should take a look, take a listen and have more talk. Beyond these areas, there is wide disagreement on many subjects. I, for one, do not believe that we should hazard the livelihoods of the elderly or the working families on such speculation to reach a balance. Let us let the professionals at the Bureau of Labor Statistics improve the CPI based on sound logic and not political necessity.”