[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 102 (Monday, July 11, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4487-S4488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 231--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 2011 AS ``NATIONAL CHILD
AWARENESS MONTH'' TO PROMOTE AWARENESS OF CHARITIES BENEFITTING
CHILDREN AND YOUTH-SERVING ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES
AND RECOGNIZING EFFORTS MADE BY THOSE CHARITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS ON
BEHALF OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH AS CRITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FUTURE OF
THE UNITED STATES
Mr. BURR (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Begich,
Mr. Lautenberg, and Mr. Alexander) submitted the following resolution;
which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 231
Whereas millions of children and youth in the United States
represent the hopes and future of the United States;
Whereas numerous individuals, charities benefitting
children, and youth-serving organizations that work with
children and youth collaborate to provide invaluable services
to enrich and better the lives of children and youth
throughout the United States;
Whereas raising awareness of, and increasing support for,
organizations that provide access to healthcare, social
services, education, the arts, sports, and other services
will result in the development of character and the future
success of the children and youth of the United States;
Whereas the month of September, as the school year begins,
is a time when parents, families, teachers, school
administrators, and communities increase their focus on
children and youth throughout the United States;
Whereas the month of September is a time for the people of
the United States to highlight and be mindful of the needs of
children and youth;
[[Page S4488]]
Whereas private corporations and businesses have joined
with hundreds of national and local charitable organizations
throughout the United States in support of a month-long focus
on children and youth; and
Whereas designating September 2011 as ``National Child
Awareness Month'' would recognize that a long-term commitment
to children and youth is in the public interest, and will
encourage widespread support for charities and organizations
that seek to provide a better future for the children and
youth of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate designates September 2011 as
``National Child Awareness Month''--
(1) to promote awareness of charities benefitting children
and youth-serving organizations throughout the United States;
and
(2) to recognize efforts made by those charities and
organizations on behalf of children and youth as critical
contributions to the future of the United States.
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I rise to discuss the ongoing
negotiations on the Federal budget and our rapidly approaching debt
ceiling. I think we all agree the situation we face is increasingly
grave. I believe every responsible person agrees that a failure to act
on the debt limit would have awful repercussions and set back our
fragile and tentative economic recovery. Surpassing the debt limit
could inflict a triple economic harm on our struggling economy: the
economic harm of all at once pulling 40 cents of every Federal dollar
out of the economy, the economic harm of shutting down every work
project that depends on Federal permits, contracts or regulatory
approvals, and the economic harm of driving up interest rates for our
constituents and for our country. We must, therefore, act and act
quickly to ensure that we avoid that outcome.
I also believe the debt limit presents an opportunity to make some
tough decisions on our unsustainable deficits. The longer we wait to
make these choices, the harder they will be. It is my strong belief
that any agreement we reach to reduce the deficits must be based on
real savings and must not be made at the expense of our most vulnerable
citizens. That is why I am so concerned about reports that Social
Security and Medicare benefits have been raised as possible sources of
deficit reduction. Cuts to Social Security and to Medicare benefits are
unnecessary, are wrong, and should not be on the table. Social Security
is not the cause of the deficit, and beneficiaries of Social Security
should not be made to shoulder the burden of deficit reduction.
A balanced deficit reduction package is certainly within our grasp. I
wish to commend our chairman, Senator Conrad, chairman of the Budget
Committee, for his proposal which would cut the deficit by $4 trillion
over the next decade. His plan would cut the deficit by more than the
House Republican budget and would do so without cutting Social Security
or Medicare benefits. Chairman Conrad's blueprint would balance $2
trillion in spending cuts with an equal amount of tax loophole closers
for wealthy individuals and corporations. His budget would call for
shared sacrifice, not just go after the elderly and other vulnerable
Americans. We should not, as Americans, balance the budget on the backs
of those who can least afford it. That is why I rise to offer a
resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that any budget agreement
should not include cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits. Social
Security is funded through the contributions of our Nation's workers
and businesses. It currently has a trust fund balance over $2.5
trillion, and it is projected to be fully solvent for another quarter
century. So while I agree with steps to strengthen Social Security, it
is a vital program, any changes should be considered independent of
this effort to reduce the deficit, and under no circumstances should we
cut Social Security benefits. Indeed, the solvency of the program could
be extended significantly just by applying payroll taxes to a greater
portion of the earnings of millionaires and billionaires. What we
should never do is to put elderly Americans' security at risk in the
stock market or increase the retirement age or cut benefits through
backdoor methods such as lowering the cost-of-living adjustment.
As has the Presiding Officer, I have heard from hundreds of folks
from my home State--Rhode Islanders who agree with me--and,
particularly, I rely on seniors to whom I have listened at community
dinners and senior centers throughout the State who are concerned that
they have already gone 2 years without a cost-of-living adjustment when
prices are going up all around them.
Audrey from Middletown told me that after her husband died, she had
many expenses but ``no income except for his Social Security check
which enabled me to go on living--simply but adequately--without being
a burden on my sons and losing my dignity as well.''
Ronald from Cumberland, RI, has been on Social Security for a number
of years. He wrote me to say:
It . . . seems that it's always the people who need the
help the most who get cut from the Federal Government. Why is
this? No Social Security COLA for two years, yet prices for
the basic needs still rise. . . . In a country like the
United States of America, this should not happen.
The threat to Medicare is just as real. Earlier this year, House
Republicans passed a budget that in 10 years would put an end to the
Medicare Program as we know it. Estimates suggest their proposal would
end up forcing a typical 65-year-old senior to pay, on average, $12,500
each year in out-of-pocket expenses, starting in 2022--more than double
what a senior is estimated to pay under the current system. In Rhode
Island, where the average senior only gets about $14,200 per year from
Social Security, charging an average $12,500 for seniors would be an
exercise in poverty creation.
The Republican budget would also throw seniors right away--in the
next year--back into the Medicare prescription drug doughnut hole we
have just begun closing through the affordable care act, and it would
eliminate the lifesaving preventive services that were added by the
health care reform law. Cutting Medicare benefits is the wrong approach
to balancing our budget, especially while Republicans continue fighting
to protect every single tax break, every single loophole, every single
earmark in the Tax Code enjoyed by millionaires and billionaires and by
corporations, many of whom pay no taxes at all.
Medicare and Social Security are cornerstones of our Nation's
prosperity, and they benefit all of us. These programs allow Americans
to live their lives free from worry about their retirement security or
the welfare and health treatment of their parents. This American
freedom is a value we should fight to protect.
While we should always be open to improving these vital programs, we
must not cut the benefits our seniors and disabled Americans have
earned and rely upon. I wish to thank Senators Blumenthal and Sanders;
Senator Sherrod Brown; the Presiding Officer, Senator Merkley; and
Senator Franken for their support in cosponsoring this resolution. I
hope my colleagues will join us in protecting the promise we have made
to our Nation's seniors through Social Security and Medicare.
In closing, the challenge before us is a formidable one, but I truly
believe we can reach an agreement on the deficit and debt ceiling
without compromising the security and well-being of our seniors.
I thank the Chair.
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