[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 14 (Thursday, February 1, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H1197-H1200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE SOCIAL SECURITY GUARANTEE ACT

  Mr. ARCHER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 355, I call up 
the bill (H.R. 2924) to guarantee the timely payment of Social Security 
benefits in March 1996, and ask for its immediate consideration in the 
House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text at H.R. 2924 is as follows:

                               H.R. 2924

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. TIMELY PAYMENT OF MARCH 1996 SOCIAL SECURITY 
                   BENEFITS GUARANTEED.

       (a) Findings.--
       (1) Congress intends to pass an increase in the public debt 
     limit before March 1, 1996.
       (2) In the interim, social security beneficiaries should be 
     assured that social security benefits will be paid on a 
     timely basis in March 1996.
       (b) Guarantee of Social Security Benefit Payments.--In 
     addition to any other authority provided by law, the 
     Secretary of the Treasury may issue under chapter 31 of title 
     31, United States Code, obligations of the United States 
     before March 1, 1996, in an amount equal to the monthly 
     insurance benefits payable under title II of the Social 
     Security Act in March 1996.
       (c) Obligations Exempt From Public Debt Limit.--
       (1) In general.--Obligations issued under subsection (b) 
     shall not be taken into account in applying the limitation in 
     section 3101(b) of title 31, United States Code.
       (2) Termination of exemption--Paragraph (1) shall cease to 
     apply on the earlier of--
       (A) the date of the enactment of the first increase in the 
     limitation in section 3101(b) of title 31, United States 
     Code, after the date of the enactment of this Act, or
       (B) March 15, 1996.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Walker). Pursuant to House Resolution 
355, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Archer] will be recognized for 30 
minutes, and the gentleman from New York [Mr. Rangel] will be 
recognized for 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Archer].


                             GENERAL LEAVE

  Mr. ARCHER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 2924, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ARCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the debate we are entering into today really should not 
have to occur at all.
  Our Nation is a great nation. We are financially sound, and our 
credit is secure. We always have, and we always will pay our bills on 
time and in full.
  Regardless of the occasional wrangling that goes on between the White 
House and the Congress, we have always found a way to protect the full 
faith and credit of the United States of 

[[Page H1198]]
America, and this year will be no different. Republicans in Congress 
have pledged that we will take action to raise the debt limit prior to 
March 1. We will fulfill our responsibility, and I am confident that 
the President will fulfill his by signing the legislation that will 
come before the end of this month.
  That is why I deeply regret President Clinton and his advisers have 
fanned the political flames of fear by raising the specter that Social 
Security checks will not go out as a result of the current debate.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill before us is designed to protect America's 
seniors from the scare campaign President Clinton and his allies have 
been waging for political purposes. The Social Security checks will go 
out, and everyone knows it. The President is wrong to scare senior 
citizens, and he should not use them as pawns in this budget debate.
  But in an effort to reassure our seniors, this bill will give them a 
guarantee that they will get their checks no matter what President 
Clinton does. With the passage of this bill, President Clinton has no 
excuse not to send out Social Security checks. Seniors have worked all 
of their lives and have already paid for their Social Security checks. 
The Social Security fund contains their money. Seniors deserve peace of 
mind, and this bill gives it to them.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no need to debate this bill. I do not see where 
there is any need to debate what is going on here when the whole world 
knows exactly what it is.
  This has nothing to do with protecting the full faith and credit of 
the United States of America.
  The majority party has seen fit to select who they want to protect, 
so this week it is the Social Security beneficiaries. Who knows, three 
weeks from now it may be the widows, those that are left behind from 
our veterans or those that are disabled. Who knows how they want to 
issue their compassion?
  The only question we should have to vote on is whether this Congress 
is prepared to pass a clean long-term debt ceiling bill. The majority, 
without consultation, without compromise, have decided themselves that 
the only thing they want to do is to extend it for a couple of weeks to 
protect the Social Security beneficiaries. I hope, Mr. Speaker, and 
Members of the other side, that over this so-called break when we 
should be here working that you might decide that you want to extend 
that compassion to each and every American who deserves not only their 
check but deserves to know that the full faith and credit of the United 
States of America will stand tall, notwithstanding the fact that there 
is a serious disagreement between both sides of the aisle on what our 
policy should be. This should be clean.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ARCHER. Mr. Speaker, with the understanding and agreement that we 
have had with the minority, I have no further speakers, but I will 
close and will yield myself the balance of my time with that 
understanding.
  Mr. Speaker, the individuals that the gentleman from New York just 
referred to will also have their checks protected by this legislation. 
Let that be understood.
  But this debate is really not about Social Security, and it is not 
about default. It is about our Nation's debt. Our debt stands at over 
$4.9 trillion and growing.
  For a family of 4, their share is $72,000, increasing each week by 
$89, each month by $383, and each year by $4,594. Sometime, someday, 
someone has to pay this debt, and that someone is today's younger 
workers, their children, and their children's children.
  What do the Democrats want to do with this debt problem? They want us 
to respond by sending more debt to our children. It is business as 
usual. They want us to pass a so-called clean debt limit.
  Most of them do not support a balanced budget, and they want to 
borrow our Nation's way into deeper debt and eventual bankruptcy and 
default, and that is why we believe it is highly appropriate to attach 
to the 1995 debt limit bill legislation that puts a down payment on 
deficit reduction and tax relief.
  Their strategy is borrow, default and blame Republicans. Democrats 
used the 1993 debt limit bill to pass the largest tax increase in 
history, an increase even President Clinton admitted was ``too much.'' 
The Democrats think it is OK to pass tax hikes on debt limit bills, but 
they oppose reducing spending, shrinking the Federal Government, and 
leaving more money in the taxpayers' pockets as a part of the 1995 debt 
limit bill.

                              {time}  2000

  Republicans believe that there is nothing clean, Mr. Speaker, about 
leaving more debt to our children. It is wrong to give our children 
more debt, and if the President's State of the Union speech was more 
than idle words, he will agree with our plan to put a reasonable and 
responsible down payment on the deficit, on the debt limit bill later 
this month.
  We have kept in this House of Representatives every promise we made 
to the American people, and today we can assure them we will pass a 
debt limit bill before the first of March. We need to pass this bill 
now to assure and guarantee to senior citizens that their Social 
Security checks will go out.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker. I rise to speak in support of H.R. 2924, the 
Social Security Guarantee Act. As Congress continues to negotiate with 
the administration on how to balance the budget if is imperative that 
we ensure that Social Security benefits will be paid on time.
  It is not right that our Nation's seniors be held hostage to any 
partisan bickering and the failure of the administration to come 
forward with a credible, workable balanced budget. Instead, Congress 
should be doing all it can to ensure that our seniors receive their 
Social Security checks on time. As many of us know, their Social 
Security check is all some of our seniors have to help pay for their 
food and shelter.
  Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to fully support this important 
measure.
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, the Secretary of Treasury has 
repeatedly warned of the impending collapse of our financial system if 
Republicans did not give up on their quest for a balanced budget and 
simply increase the debt limit. His lack of credibility is now 
established.
  His recent statements about not having enough cash to make retirement 
payments on March 1 is again designed to put political pressure on the 
Congress in hopes that Congress will abandon the balanced budget and 
allow the addition of more debt to the trillions that our children will 
be responsible for.
  This bill will ensure that Social Security payments must be made on 
March 1. It does not add to the debt, but it does allow Treasury to 
overcome a timing problem that they have created by their claim that 
they cannot manage the cash of this country.
  Under normal circumstances Treasury would sell bonds a few days 
before benefit payments are due with a settlement date the same as the 
benefit payment date. Then the trust fund is disinvested and the debt 
limit has returned to what it was. Because we are at the debt limit 
Treasury cannot use this normal procedure.
  Because the Social Security Trust is void of any cash, Treasury must 
sell securities to make benefit payments that come due. This bill will 
allow these securities to be sold outside the debt limit, then as the 
benefit payments are met the trust fund securities will be redeemed. 
The securities which were sold will then come under the debt limit, so 
by March 15, when all benefit checks have been paid, the debt will be 
the same as it was before.
  Congress makes the decision about what the pattern of debt will be in 
the future. The current Congress, however, no longer directly controls 
the amount of spending that will occur in the near future. This is 
because of the growth of entitlement programs. In 1955, nearly nine-
tenths of the Federal budget was discretionary programs. Today only 
about one-third of the budget is discretionary. Congress can only alter 
the spending pattern to match its wishes with regard to the time path 
of debt by amending statutes which authorize the entitlement programs. 
Although it is true through budget reconciliation Congress does 
authorize mandatory spending, and can thus make changes, Congress 
recently offered such legislation under the guise of the Balanced 
Budget Act of 1995. This legislation was vetoed by the President. 
Unlike an appropriations bill, which if vetoed results in no spending 
and no additional debt, a veto of a reconciliation bill, or changes in 
mandatory spending through 

[[Page H1199]]
new authorizing legislation, results in continued spending under the 
old programs. The results is that, in the case of mandatory spending, 
Congress cannot affect a change and alter the time path of debt without 
the consent of the President, unless it has a two-thirds majority to 
override the President's veto.
  Due to the inextricable link between the entitlement programs and the 
future debt of the Federal Government, there is an inextricable link 
between the budget bills and the debt limit. To argue that the debt 
limit is not to be tied into the budget process is to miss this vital 
point. Congress's last hold on its authority to borrow money under 
article 1, section 8 is the debt limit. Because the amount of debt that 
will be needed in the future is directly related to the amount of 
spending that will occur, the authority to borrow under section 8 is 
tied directly to Congress' authority to spend under article 1, section 
9. It is quite appropriate to link budget bills to debt limit 
increases.
  Historically, this has been the case. Indeed, with the decrease in 
the share of the budget that is accounted for by discretionary 
spending, the linkage has become ever closer. In 1993, H.R. 2264 raised 
the debt limit in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, which included 
a tax increase of $250 billion.
  In 1990, the debt limit increase incorporated the Omnibus 
Reconciliation Act of 1990, which also included large tax increases.
  In 1987 and 1985 the debt limit increases were included in the debate 
over Gramm-Rudman I and II. In recent years, a clean permanent increase 
in the debt limit simply doesn't occur.
  Thomas Jefferson: I place economy among the first and most important 
of Republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers to be 
feared.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to strongly urge my colleagues to 
support the passage of a clean debt limit extension bill. The American 
people must clearly understand why this is so critical. If the Congress 
fails to pass the measure before the first of March, the Government 
will not be able to pay its bills.
  For the first time in history, Social Security and Veterans' benefits 
checks could bounce, citizens' tax refunds could be withheld, those 
doing business with the Government could not be paid including 
hospitals, and mortgage payments could increase.
  With so much work left to be done on critical pieces of legislation--
especially the debt limit, I strongly urge my colleagues on the other 
side of the aisle not to recess. This irresponsible approach to the 
management of the Government must end. The Republicans' politically 
contrived shutdown of the Federal Government has already cost the 
country over $1.5 billion. This did not reduce the deficit, it 
increased the deficit. Such blatant waste must not be tolerated.
  The GOP majority in Congress is continuing to recklessly and 
needlessly place the country's economic future and seniors', veterans', 
and children's quality of life and standard of living at risk in order 
to give a tax break to the rich.
  This hostile takeover must end. We would not tolerate such threats to 
our economy, our national security, and our children's future from our 
foreign colleagues, and the American people must not tolerate political 
tactics that could lead to economic ruin from our colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle.
  Mr. Speaker, the House must not adjourn. We are 4 months into the 
1996 fiscal year, and it is now time to start action on the fiscal year 
1997 budget, yet action is still pending on 5 of the 13 fiscal year 
1996 appropriations bills.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to stop holding the American people 
hostage, put an end to operating the Government on piecemeal continuing 
resolutions--pass a clean debt limit extension bill, and complete 
action on the remaining fiscal year 1996 appropriations bills.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Chairman, we choose not to respond, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. ARCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Walker). Pursuant to House Resolution 
355, the previous question is ordered.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was 
read the third time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the aye appeared to have it.
  Mr. ARCHER. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.
  The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 396, 
nays 0, not voting 37, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 30]

                               YEAS--396

     Abercrombie
     Ackerman
     Allard
     Andrews
     Archer
     Armey
     Bachus
     Baesler
     Baker (CA)
     Baldacci
     Ballenger
     Barcia
     Barr
     Barrett (NE)
     Barrett (WI)
     Bartlett
     Barton
     Bass
     Bateman
     Beilenson
     Bentsen
     Bereuter
     Bilbray
     Bilirakis
     Bishop
     Bliley
     Blute
     Boehlert
     Boehner
     Bonilla
     Bonior
     Bono
     Borski
     Boucher
     Brewster
     Browder
     Brown (CA)
     Brown (FL)
     Brown (OH)
     Brownback
     Bryant (TN)
     Bunn
     Bunning
     Burr
     Buyer
     Camp
     Campbell
     Canady
     Cardin
     Castle
     Chabot
     Chambliss
     Chenoweth
     Christensen
     Chrysler
     Clay
     Clayton
     Clement
     Clinger
     Clyburn
     Coble
     Coburn
     Coleman
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (IL)
     Collins (MI)
     Combest
     Condit
     Conyers
     Cooley
     Costello
     Cox
     Coyne
     Cramer
     Crane
     Crapo
     Cremeans
     Cubin
     Cunningham
     Danner
     Davis
     de la Garza
     Deal
     DeFazio
     DeLauro
     DeLay
     Dellums
     Deutsch
     Dickey
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Dixon
     Doggett
     Dooley
     Doolittle
     Dornan
     Doyle
     Dreier
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Durbin
     Edwards
     Ehlers
     Ehrlich
     Emerson
     Engel
     English
     Ensign
     Eshoo
     Evans
     Everett
     Farr
     Fattah
     Fawell
     Fazio
     Fields (LA)
     Fields (TX)
     Flake
     Flanagan
     Foglietta
     Foley
     Forbes
     Ford
     Fowler
     Fox
     Frank (MA)
     Franks (CT)
     Franks (NJ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Frisa
     Frost
     Funderburk
     Furse
     Ganske
     Gejdenson
     Gekas
     Gephardt
     Geren
     Gilchrest
     Gillmor
     Gilman
     Gonzalez
     Goodlatte
     Goodling
     Gordon
     Goss
     Graham
     Greenwood
     Gunderson
     Gutierrez
     Gutknecht
     Hall (OH)
     Hall (TX)
     Hamilton
     Hancock
     Hansen
     Harman
     Hastert
     Hastings (FL)
     Hastings (WA)
     Hayes
     Hayworth
     Hefley
     Hefner
     Heineman
     Herger
     Hilleary
     Hilliard
     Hinchey
     Hobson
     Hoke
     Holden
     Horn
     Hostettler
     Houghton
     Hoyer
     Hunter
     Hutchinson
     Hyde
     Inglis
     Istook
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson-Lee (TX)
     Jefferson
     Johnson (CT)
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Johnson, Sam
     Johnston
     Jones
     Kanjorski
     Kaptur
     Kasich
     Kelly
     Kennedy (MA)
     Kennedy (RI)
     Kennelly
     Kildee
     Kim
     King
     Kingston
     Kleczka
     Klink
     Klug
     Knollenberg
     LaHood
     Lantos
     Largent
     Latham
     LaTourette
     Laughlin
     Lazio
     Leach
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lewis (KY)
     Lightfoot
     Lincoln
     Linder
     Lipinski
     Livingston
     LoBiondo
     Lofgren
     Longley
     Lowey
     Lucas
     Luther
     Maloney
     Manzullo
     Markey
     Martini
     Mascara
     Matsui
     McCarthy
     McCollum
     McCrery
     McDade
     McDermott
     McHale
     McHugh
     McInnis
     McIntosh
     McKeon
     McKinney
     McNulty
     Meek
     Menendez
     Metcalf
     Mica
     Miller (CA)
     Miller (FL)
     Minge
     Mink
     Molinari
     Mollohan
     Montgomery
     Moorhead
     Moran
     Morella
     Murtha
     Myers
     Myrick
     Nadler
     Neal
     Nethercutt
     Neumann
     Ney
     Norwood
     Nussle
     Oberstar
     Obey
     Olver
     Ortiz
     Orton
     Owens
     Oxley
     Pallone
     Parker
     Pastor
     Paxon
     Payne (NJ)
     Payne (VA)
     Pelosi
     Peterson (MN)
     Petri
     Pickett
     Pombo
     Pomeroy
     Porter
     Portman
     Poshard
     Pryce
     Quillen
     Quinn
     Rahall
     Ramstad
     Rangel
     Reed
     Regula
     Richardson
     Riggs
     Rivers
     Roberts
     Roemer
     Rogers
     Rohrabacher
     Roth
     Roukema
     Roybal-Allard
     Royce
     Rush
     Sabo
     Salmon
     Sawyer
     Saxton
     Scarborough
     Schaefer
     Schiff
     Schroeder
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sensenbrenner
     Serrano
     Shadegg
     Shays
     Shuster
     Sisisky
     Skaggs
     Skeen
     Skelton
     Slaughter
     Smith (MI)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith (WA)
     Souder
     Spence
     Spratt
     Stark
     Stearns
     Stenholm
     Stockman
     Stokes
     Studds
     Stump
     Stupak
     Talent
     Tanner
     Tate
     Tauzin
     Taylor (MS)
     Taylor (NC)
     Tejeda
     Thomas
     Thompson
     Thornberry
     Thornton
     Thurman
     Tiahrt
     Torkildsen
     Torres
     Torricelli
     Towns
     Traficant
     Upton
     Velazquez
     Vento
     Visclosky
     Volkmer
     Vucanovich
     Waldholtz
     Walker
     Walsh
     Wamp
     Ward
     Waters
     Watt (NC)
     Watts (OK)
     Waxman
     Weldon (FL)
     Weldon (PA)
     Weller
     White
     Whitfield
     Wicker
     Williams
     Wise
     Wolf
     Woolsey
     Wyden
     Wynn
     Yates
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)
     Zeliff
     Zimmer

                             NOT VOTING--37

     Baker (LA)
     Becerra
     Berman
     Bevill
     Bryant (TX)
     Burton
     Callahan
     Calvert
     Chapman
     Diaz-Balart
     Ewing
     Filner
     Gallegly
     Gibbons
     Green
     
[[Page H1200]]

     Hoekstra
     Jacobs
     Kolbe
     LaFalce
     Lewis (CA)
     Manton
     Martinez
     Meehan
     Meyers
     Mfume
     Moakley
     Packard
     Peterson (FL)
     Radanovich
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Rose
     Sanders
     Sanford
     Seastrand
     Shaw
     Solomon
     Wilson

                              {time}  2018

  Mrs. CLAYTON changed her vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So the bill was passed.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________