Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-20221013

A28 u.s. news
Diahuebs 13 OctOber 2022

Biden global strategy tackles China, Russia, domestic needs

WASHINGTON (AP) — the world solely through a On the issue of oil, Biden
The White House laid out competitive lens, and en- said Wednesday the adminis-
a national security strat- gage countries on their own tration would “react to Saudi
egy Wednesday aimed at terms.” Arabia” in response to the
checking an ascendant Riyadh-led OPEC+ alliance
China and a more as- Biden came to office cham- announcement last week that
sertive Russia even as it pioning a “foreign policy for it would cut oil production.
stressed that domestic in- the middle class” that sought The president’s comments
vestments are key to help- to put greater focus on China came after he said a day ear-
ing the U.S. compete in as a rising economic and mil- lier that the Saudis would
the critical decade ahead. itary competitor, reinvigorate face “consequences” for the
alliances that had frayed dur- move.
The administration’s first na- ing the Trump administration
tional security strategy, a doc- and protect human rights, all Democratic lawmakers are
ument required by statute, while looking out for U.S. pushing legislation that
stresses the need for a foreign interests. would halt U.S. military sales
policy that balances the inter- to the Saudis in light of the
ests of global allies with those Administration officials say the administration says is the concerns in Iran and North oil production cut, which
only competitor that has both Korea, and strained relations
of middle-class Americans. that the focus on U.S. in- White House officials say
terests remains central to the intent and, increasingly, with the oil-rich kingdom of will help another OPEC+
In broad brushstrokes, the Biden’s foreign policy vision. the capability to reshape the Saudi Arabia. member, Russia, pad its cof-
strategy sketches a “decisive But the new strategy docu- international order, while fers as it prosecutes its war in
constraining a dangerous Sullivan in remarks to report-
decade” for national security, ment also reflects the long Ukraine.
as President Joe Biden faces list of crises that has left the Russia. ers before the speech said the
Ukraine crisis delayed rollout
an arguably more compli- world facing shared challeng- Biden has already begun re-
cated world than when he es including climate change, Biden is dealing with a nearly of the document but it had viewing potential actions and
eight-month Russian war in not “fundamentally altered”
took office 21 months ago in food insecurity, communi- will consider the call for a
the midst of the worst global cable diseases, and inflation. Ukraine that is wracking the Biden’s approach to the strat- halt on arms sales to Riyadh.
global economy, increasingly egy. The administration had
pandemic in a century. At the Sullivan said a decision on
same time, the White House The document stresses the assertive action by China to- initially planned to release arms sales was not imminent.
ward the self-ruled island of the strategy in February.
said policy-makers must necessity of competing ef-
“avoid the temptation to view fectively with China, which Taiwan, mounting nuclear

EXPLAINER: A huge jump in Social Security payments is coming

NEW YORK (AP) — Tens COLA. Critics say the data every month. Some estimates
of millions of older Amer- the government uses to set say the boost may be as big as January. They’re also perma- That’s the intent. As Ameri-
icans are about to get what the increase doesn’t reflect 9%. nent, and they compound. cans have become painfully
may be the biggest raise of what older Americans are ac- That means the following aware over the past year, each
their lifetimes. tually spending, and thus the WHAT DO BENEFICIA- year’s percentage increase, $1 doesn’t go as far at the gro-
inflation they’re actually feel- RIES HAVE TO DO TO whatever it ends up being, cery store as it used to.
On Thursday, the U.S. gov- ing. The increase is also one- GET IT? will be on top of the new,
ernment is set to announce size-fits-all, which means larger payment beneficiaries HAS SOCIAL SECURITY
how big a percentage increase beneficiaries get the same Nothing. get after this most recent ALWAYS GIVEN SUCH
Social Security beneficiaries raise regardless of where they raise. INCREASES?
will see in monthly payments live or how big a nest egg WILL THIS BE THE BIG-
this upcoming year. It’s vir- they may have. GEST INCREASE EVER? HOW BIG WAS THIS PAST No. The first American to get
tually certain to be the largest YEAR’S INCREASE? a monthly retirement check
in four decades. It’s all part of Here’s a look at what’s hap- No, but it’s likely the hefti- from Social Security, Ida May
an annual ritual where Wash- pening: est in 40 years, which is lon- 5.9%, which itself was the Fuller from Ludlow, Ver-
ington adjusts Social Security ger than the vast majority of biggest in nearly four de- mont, got the same $22.54
benefits to keep up with in- WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? Social Security beneficiaries cades. monthly benefit for 10 years.
flation, or at least with one have been getting payments.
narrow measure of it. The U.S. government is In 1981, the increase was WHAT’S THE TYPICAL Automatic annual cost-of-
about to announce an in- 11.2%. INCREASE? living adjustments didn’t be-
Plenty of controversy accom- crease to how much the gin for Social Security until
panies the move, known as a more than 65 million Social WHEN WILL THE BIG- Since 2000, it’s averaged 1975, after a law passed in
cost-of-living adjustment or Security beneficiaries will get GER PAYMENTS BEGIN? 2.3% as inflation remained 1972 requiring them.
remarkably tame through all
kinds of economic swings. HOW IS THE SIZE OF
During some of the toughest THE INCREASE SET?
years in that stretch, the big-
ger worry for the economy It’s tied to a measure of infla-
was actually that inflation was tion called the CPI-W index,
running too low. which tracks what kinds of
prices are being paid by ur-
Since the 2008 financial cri- ban wage earners and clerical
sis, the U.S. government has workers.
announced zero increases to
Social Security benefits three More specifically, the in-
times because inflation was crease is based on how much
so weak. the CPI-W increases from
the summer of one year to
SO THE INCREASE IS TO the next.
MAKE UP FOR INFLA-
TION?