[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 81 (Friday, June 17, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H4658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H4658]]
                  THE PRESIDENT IS THE OBSTRUCTIONIST

  (Mr. EMANUEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago the President said, ``Those 
who obstruct reform, no matter what party they are in, will pay a 
political price.''
  Ironically, it is not the Democrats that are slowing Social Security 
reform, but the President's insistence on the privatization of Social 
Security. The privatization of Social Security has become the poison 
pill to progress.
  In a world where retirements have become less, not more secure, 
people like the security that comes with Social Security, as the United 
Airlines employees have just told us. The American people have 
overwhelming rejected the President's proposal for privatization of 
Social Security. It is time to move on.
  We Democrats have retirement security ideas, such as a 401(k) 
automatic enrollment, direct deposit of tax returns into 401(k)s, a 50-
percent government match for savings. Republicans have ideas as well, 
and we are not all that far apart. But before we can move forward, 
privatization of Social Security has to come off the table, just like 
it was removed in 1983, that led to a 75-year security of Social 
Security.
  We can choose to lead, or we can endlessly debate the privatization 
of Social Security, a plan the American people have already rejected. 
Let us not allow the President's privatization to stand in the way of 
progress.

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