[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 26110]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           ON THE GOP BUDGET

  (Mr. CROWLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, it is time for a history quiz. Who created 
Social Security in April 1935?
  The answer, a Democratic President and a Democratic-led Congress 
despite fierce opposition from the Republican Party. In fact, only one 
Republican voted in favor of maintaining Social Security. Now we are 
expected to believe that the Republicans are going to save Social 
Security, something they never wanted in the first place?
  Let us just listen to Republican Majority Leader Dick Armey. During 
his first campaign for the House in 1984, Armey said that Social 
Security was a ``bad retirement'' and a ``rotten trick'' on the 
American people. He continued, and I quote, ``I think we're going to 
have to bite the bullet on Social Security and phase it out over a 
period of time.'' That was from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 1984.
  In January 1985, Armey said, and I quote, ``One thing that is very 
clear to us from the history of the Social Security system in this 
country is that the Federal Government is incapable of administering a 
compulsory retirement program in a manner that gives the public a 
secure and predictable future.''
  The GOP's own CBO estimates say that the Republican budget already 
dips into Social Security by more than $18 billion.

                          ____________________