[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 17, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E465]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 17, 1999

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, our nation's social security system has 
traditionally been a ``safety net'' to citizens hoping to lead long and 
fruitful lives. However, changes in our society's economic and social 
conditions warrant reform.
  The facts are clear. The Trust Fund will be depleted by 2032.
  As such, the current debate is not about the necessity of reform, but 
what structural revisions will preserve the system long term.
  I believe that reform should be synonymous with ``guarantee''--
guaranteed minimum benefits for decades to come. Reforms that do not 
ensure system solvency or include pension or private savings plans 
without such a guarantee are, frankly, indefensible.
  Today, I urge my colleagues to support reform that, as Franklin 
Roosevelt said best, ``. . . take[s] care of human needs'' throughout 
the next millennium.

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