[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H3316-H3317]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       PROTECTING SOCIAL SECURITY PROGRAMS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Reed) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight an issue that is 
coming upon us very quickly.
  Mr. Speaker, many people across the Nation have talked about Social 
Security and Medicare and the trust funds going bankrupt for the 
retirement fund and Medicare sometime in 2033, 2034, but, Mr. Speaker, 
there is a more impending crisis coming down upon us. The Social 
Security disability trust fund is scheduled to go insolvent in 2016. 
That means, if we do nothing, what is going to happen in 2016 is 
millions of Americans across this Nation who receive those lifesaving 
disability benefits monthly will see a reduction in their benefits to 
the tune of 20 to 21 percent. That is unacceptable, Mr. Speaker.

[[Page H3317]]

  Two years ago, as I serve on the Ways and Means Committee, I had an 
opportunity to question our Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew. I asked him 
the question 2 years ago: You know this crisis is on the horizon. I 
have read your testimony to this committee of Ways and Means, and I 
read the entire President's budget.
  I said: Nowhere in there is a solution or a reference to this 
impending crisis. What is the solution the White House is offering?
  Simply, what they propose is they are going to take the portion of 
our payroll taxes that goes to Social Security retirement that is paid 
by future retirees and use the $270 billion necessary to bail out the 
disability trust fund.
  Mr. Speaker, before I came to Congress, I had a private business. If 
you talk to any small-business owner across America, what they will 
tell you that is, it is robbing Peter to pay Paul because the Social 
Security retirement trust fund is on that same path to insolvency in 
2033. So why would you take from one and use it to bail out another 
when both programs are in dire straits? So, Mr. Speaker, I said to Jack 
Lew this year, when I had an opportunity to question him, that is 
unacceptable. We need to do better not only in order to protect the 
Social Security retirees, who are near and dear to me, but also to 
those in the disability community that rely on these benefits.
  The disability trust fund hasn't been reformed for decades. I care 
about those individuals deeply. And when I see disabled folks coming in 
to my office, as I have reached out to stakeholder groups and had 
conversations, what they tell me is they have a disability trust fund 
program that essentially penalizes them for trying to go back to work. 
That doesn't make sense.
  We should be standing with the disability community if they have a 
capacity, a willingness, and a desire to go back to work. Our policies 
here in Washington, D.C., should say we are going to stand with you, we 
are going to encourage you, and we are going to applaud you, not 
penalize you, for doing that.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say that this crisis needs to be 
dealt with. It is time to lead. What we are looking for is input from 
across the country on ideas on how we can reform the disability trust 
fund, protect our Social Security retirees to the extent that we 
possibly can, and make sure that we have a disability trust fund that 
is designed and performing in the 21st century, a trust fund that says 
to the disabled community, we are with you, we are going to stand next 
to you, and we are going to give you the resources you need in order to 
live a great and fruitful life. At the same time we are going to look 
at our Social Security retirees and say to them, ``We are going to 
protect you.''
  If we can't fix this crisis coming upon us in 2016, Mr. Speaker, then 
how in God's name can we fix the crises of Medicare and Social Security 
that are coming upon us in 2033 and thereabouts? There are millions of 
Americans that deserve a better answer than kicking the can down the 
road. Mr. Speaker, it is time to lead, and I rise today to ask all my 
colleagues to join me in that leadership role.

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