"By extending the payroll tax cut, Congress and the administration have quietly made a critical change in how Social Security is funded - one that some in Washington worry could undermine the program's foundation if lawmakers keep renewing the tax break," The Washington Post reported on Friday. "For the first time in the program's history, tens of billions of dollars from the government's general pool of revenue are being funneled to the Social Security trust fund to make up for the revenue lost to the tax cut."  Sen. Bernie Sanders cited the same concern when he was one of 10 senators to vote against the bill extending the payroll tax cut. "Middle-class working families need tax relief to help them survive in this terrible economy," Sanders said, "but diverting billions of dollars from Social Security to provide that tax relief is wrong. This continues a dangerous process that began last year. I strongly believe tax relief should be done in a different way."

Read The Washington Post article.