[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SOCIAL SECURITY AND THE BUDGET

  (Mr. RODRIGUEZ asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, Social Security has been a successful 
program. It has helped millions of seniors out of poverty. Our seniors 
are facing a dilemma, one that threatens their security and their 
trust. We must fight to preserve our Social Security trust fund and 
honor the country's commitment.
  The President's budget does not honor the commitment to our seniors, 
and in turn fails all Americans. Now is the time for us to focus on a 
long-term budget plan that will recover as the economy recovers, 
returning us to an era where we can fully protect and even strengthen 
our Social Security trust fund. We need to recommit to the idea of 
Social Security surplus dollars only for Social Security and paying 
down the national debt.
  The President's new budget raids the Social Security surplus to pay 
for government programs, not just 1 year but 10 years. Our seniors 
deserve better than gimmicks and budget tricks. They need us to lead 
and fight for the preservation of a historic program and for the needs 
of seniors. We ask Congress to reconsider their budget, reconsider 
their tax cuts, and reassume the responsibility, and that is to pay 
down our debt and take care of our seniors.

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