[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 3 (Thursday, January 8, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        MAINTAINING SSI BENEFITS

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, as I come to the floor--I had been on 
the floor earlier today--I offer again my deepest sympathy to the 
people of France and mourn with them for the heinous tragedy yesterday, 
and I know all Americans also do so.
  I come, however, to talk about an issue that will draw bipartisan 
recognition of the importance of ensuring the support in the lack of 
reductions of SSI benefits. There are 300-million-plus Americans in 
this country. Madam Speaker, 5.81 million Americans receive SSI; 4.6 
million of them are disabled, and 1.3 million are children.
  My office is in the Federal building in Houston, Texas. I watch 
individuals come to our Social Security office. They don't look rich. 
They don't look fraudulent. They don't look like they are trying to 
take advantage of the system of help that America is giving them.
  I am sending out an SOS alert to all the families who have loved ones 
on SSI or the children who are receiving death benefits because their 
parents are dead. I am asking that we commit to ensuring and providing 
the support for the SSI account, not reducing it, not reducing 
benefits, because these are the neediest Americans who I would be in 
utter shame to point out that they are fraudulent.
  We will be having a teach-in in my district. We will ask them to come 
and tell their stories because I am insisting and refusing to allow 
their benefits to be cut.

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