[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 23105]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



        A COMMITMENT NOT TO SPEND THE SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUND

  (Mr. BLUNT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, yesterday we debated a very important 
resolution on this floor to reaffirm our commitment not to spend the 
Social Security surplus. We heard repeatedly from the other side of the 
aisle that we had already spent the Social Security surplus when not 
one penny of that surplus has been spent, and when this House needs to 
be firmly committed not to spend one penny of the Social Security 
surplus.
  I wondered all afternoon and all evening why we would constantly hear 
that, and then I began to realize that for four decades the House has 
spent the Social Security surplus. This is truly a historic moment in 
the life of this House and for the future of Social Security. We have 
to be committed to the future of Social Security not to spend Social 
Security money today. We can and we are in the process of putting this 
budget together without spending the surplus. We have to stay committed 
to that. We cannot let the American people believe that has already 
happened, because it has not. We cannot let the message go forth from 
this House that we are going to continue business as usual when we are 
not.




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