HUD and Social Security Disability Overhauls Proposed

Draft rules obtained by ProPublica show the administration is proposing sweeping HUD changes that could strip federal housing aid from about 4 million people by imposing time limits, work requirements and penalties that could remove benefits from households with an undocumented member. Multiple reports say the administration is also preparing a major overhaul of Social Security disability rules — including proposals to remove age as a factor or raise the age threshold from 50 to 60 — which experts warn would make it harder for older workers to qualify and could cost hundreds of thousands their benefits. Analysts estimate even a modest reduction in eligibility could affect roughly 750,000 people over the next decade and thousands more dependents; the SSA is reportedly updating the labor-market data used in disability adjudications, and the administration frames the moves as modernization and efficiency improvements. Critics say the changes mirror long-standing conservative efforts to shrink the safety net amid rising rents, home prices and homelessness; separately, a personal-finance column outlines how taxable Social Security is computed and suggests strategies to reduce the taxable portion.