[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 9 (Wednesday, February 2, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SOCIAL SECURITY MUST BE FIXED

  (Mr. McHENRY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, Social Security must be fixed. It is not a 
question of whether to do it or how to do it. It is a question of when 
we do it. Because unless we act now, those workers that are 20 years 
old now, in their mid-20s, when they retire, the system is going to be 
bankrupt.
  In the 1950s when current retirees were young workers, there were 16 
workers supporting every one retiree. Now there are only 3.3 workers 
per retiree and by 2040 there are only going to be two workers per 
retiree.
  President Bush will outline his ideas to fix Social Security tonight 
during his State of the Union Address. It is an issue so important to 
the future of America, to my grandmother as well as future generations 
of Americans. We must act boldly, and our President tonight will 
outline his strategy for a lasting solution, not a temporary fix. We 
must maintain our commitment to those that are at or near retirement 
age while allowing younger workers such as myself to get a better 
return on their Social Security investment.
  Mr. Speaker, Social Security must be fixed, and it is this Congress 
and this President this year that will take on this task.

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