[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3248]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            SOCIAL SECURITY

  (Mrs. Napolitano asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, we have all heard about the need to 
dedicate the 62 percent of the surplus over the next 15 years to saving 
Social Security and then, of course, the 15 percent to saving Medicare, 
which cannot be understated.
  However, in addition to that, we need to recognize that simply 
securing the solvency of Social Security and Medicare is not enough. We 
also need to address the structure and quality of Social Security and 
Medicare programs.
  We need to discuss covering prescription drugs, a difficult issue 
because of the cost involved, yet vital for so many seniors in America.
  We need to address the earnings test so that seniors who work to 
supplement their pensions are not penalized by cuts in their Social 
Security benefits.
  We also need to talk about improving service so that individuals do 
not get lost in a bureaucratic cobweb that leaves them frustrated and 
without the benefits they deserve.
  We have already agreed to dedicate the 62 percent of the surplus for 
Social Security in order to fully protect America's retirement 
security, but I urge my colleagues on the other side to take the next 
step and join us in resolving the entire Medicare issue.

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