[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 33 (Wednesday, March 3, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H895]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              ANOTHER VIEW ON SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, let me set the record straight. The money 
that comes in here belongs to the American people. But what we fail to 
deal with is the history.
  All during the Reagan administration, Democrats and Republicans in 
this House spent Social Security money and used it like a credit card. 
We built up a $5 trillion debt for the Cold War. Now, after almost 10 
years of work, since I have been in the Congress, since 1988 and under 
Mr. Clinton for the last few years, we have got a surplus. What does 
the majority leader offer us? Let us take the surplus and give it away 
and leave that credit card debt there.
  No American family, when they receive money in a Christmas bonus or 
whatever, says, ``Well, we got all this credit card debt; let's go get 
deeper in debt.'' That would not be a financially prudent family. The 
United States Congress, acting on behalf of the American people, ought 
to pay off the credit card debt in Medicare and in Social Security.

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