[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 8 (Wednesday, February 6, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       STOP THE RAID ON SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE TRUST FUNDS

  (Mr. DOGGETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, the Administration's new budget is wrapped 
in the flag. Literally. It has a beautiful red, white and blue cover. 
But the fine print inside should be written mostly in red ink. Contrary 
to one pledge after another, from one Administration official after 
another, this plan rejects a balanced budget in favor of a ``borrow and 
spend'' approach.
  The central principle on which this budget relies is to take payroll 
taxes right out of the pocket of employees around this country--on 
their hard-earned wages that they paid in, thinking it was going for 
Social Security and Medicare--and uses them for something other than 
Social Security and Medicare.
  This raid on Social Security is not only fiscally irresponsible, it 
not only shifts the cost of what we are doing now to our children and 
our grandchildren, but it could well produce a direct cut in Social 
Security and Medicare benefits. It is wrong; it is misguided. This 
``borrow and spend'' approach should be rejected.

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