[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 24, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE MUST WITHSTAND CRUSH OF BABY BOOMER 
                              RETIREMENTS

  (Mr. BLAGOJEVICH asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BLAGOJEVICH. Mr. Speaker, when Franklin Roosevelt established 
Social Security more than six decades ago, he did it over the strong 
objections of Republicans here in Congress. Thirty years later, when 
Lyndon Johnson established Medicare, he faced similar opposition in 
this very Chamber. Both of these programs have been a big success. But 
it is funny how history has a way of repeating itself.
  Our Nation faces an enormous challenge in ensuring that Social 
Security and Medicare can withstand the crush of baby boomer 
retirements. That is why Democrats want to reserve nearly 80 percent of 
the budget surplus to strengthen Social Security and Medicare.
  Now, the Republicans also claim they want to use the budget surplus 
to save Social Security, but their numbers just do not add up. Their 
plan would divert money from the trust fund for tax cuts that 
disproportionately benefit the wealthy. And, even worse, their plan 
does not reserve a single penny of the surplus for Medicare.
  Mr. Speaker, Democrats were right about Social Security in 1935, we 
were right about Medicare in 1965, and we are right in 1999 about 
putting Social Security and Medicare first.

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