[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 47 (Monday, April 15, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3268-S3269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                DEBT LIMIT EXTENSION AND SOCIAL SECURITY

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. President, because we recently shouldered the 
important matter of extending the debt limit, I feel obliged to address 
the provision in that bill that increases the earnings limit for Social 
Security beneficiaries aged 65-69. As my colleagues know, this is a 
change that I have expressed serious concern about in the past. Now 
that enactment of this provision has come to pass, I want to state my 
views about the general issue of the earnings limit.
  First, let me pay tribute to a fine chap, my esteemed colleague from 
the great State of Arizona, Senator John McCain for his dogged 
determination and tireless efforts to effect this change in the law. I 
know that my past intervention on this issue has not always been truly 
welcome to my colleague--but I trust that my intentions, which were 
always constructive, were apparent.
  It has never been my intention to permanently forestall all changes 
to the earnings limit. I trust that the provision attached to the debt 
limit extension provides the best available means of achieving the 
objectives of my friend from Arizona and all others who are interested 
in raising the earnings limit for seniors.
  Clearly, I appreciate the fundamental principle behind the earnings 
limit legislation. Americans are living longer, are productive for more 
years, and our retirement systems need to recognize these facts. As 
chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Social Security and 
Family Policy, I have a demonstrated interest and responsibility to see 
that we adapt wisely and properly to these changes. One of my charges 
is to monitor any changes in Social Security policy and to ensure that 
those changes are not detrimental to the long-range solvency of the 
Social Security system. I have expressed my misgivings about previous 
funding mechanisms to ``pay for'' this legislation, and I am pleased to 
note that the offsets now come in a more straightforward manner from 
Social Security spending.
  Ultimately, Congress must come to grips with the fact that American 
society is aging. For the benefit of today's workers, we must act to 
address these issues very soon, or the cost to our children and 
grandchildren will be catastrophically high. We must make changes to 
ensure the solvency of future retirement programs--we should increase 
the retirement age while at the same time offering inducements for 
Americans to work longer without suffering penalties that discourage 
continued participation in our work force.
  We can't have it both ways--handing out plums that allow workers to 
stay in the work force in a productive way, while at the same time 
avoiding the hard choices that must follow--meaning raising of the 
retirement age. I hope that this first step will lead Congress to 
confront the next necessary decision. Increases in the Social Security 
eligibility age must be enacted soon, and the change will have to be 
phased in over a long period--perhaps 20 years--in order to be fair and 
effective. Such a plan will allow today's workers to plan for these 
changes.
  This legislation to increase the earnings limit is offset in large 
part by terminating the disability benefits for drug addicts and 
alcoholics. Many have considered the payment of benefits to these 
groups to be an abuse of the Social Security system. This measure 
passed by the Senate makes a clear choice that we will subsidize the 
continued working activity of senior citizens instead of subsidizing 
these addictions of alcohol and drug use. Clearly, the Senate is 
appropriately going on record as to what activity we wish to encourage 
and what we want to discourage.
  Another change that will offset the cost of this legislation is the 
increase in reviews of those people who are currently receiving 
disability benefits. Such payments were never intended to be a lifetime 
allowance to substitute for employment or self-employment. For years, 
the Social Security Administration has been unable to complete these 
required reviews--the result of which is that people are receiving 
disability payments long after their disability has either ceased or 
improved to the point where a return to work is possible. Not only will 
these reviews result in savings for the trust funds, but they will 
place able Americans who can return to work back in the workplace.
  I congratulate Senator McCain for finding the offsets that enable us 
to pay for the increased earnings limits for seniors. I am very 
pleased--you can hardly know how much--to be able to speak to this 
issue without having thrown a monkey wrench into the works and 
frustrating my colleague from Arizona. I am most hopeful that

[[Page S3269]]

this measure will be merely a prelude to Congress coming to grips with 
the much larger issue of the aging of America and the future of our 
retirement programs. The steps that we must take in the future will 
never--in any way--be as popular as this measure, but we must have the 
political fortitude to make those decisions as well. That is our job, 
that is our duty.

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