[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8861-8862]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                            SOCIAL SECURITY

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of talk over the past 
few weeks about competing plans to handle Social Security. Since 1935, 
Americans have been able to count on an assured income when they retire 
through Social Security. Social Security has been there to lift 
millions of seniors out of poverty, give them the ability to live with 
independence and dignity. We should be working to strengthen Social 
Security, not to undermine it. There is no doubt that we need to reform 
Social Security, but it must be the right kind of reform. The wrong 
kind of reform introduces risk, takes money away from Social Security 
and undermines that assured income that has served as a solid 
foundation during retirement

[[Page 8862]]

years. Plans to privatize Social Security would particularly harm 
American women because they earn less, live longer, take time out to 
raise children and are more likely to work part time.
  Mr. Speaker, we should take this historic opportunity to invest our 
surplus in protecting and strengthening Social Security instead of 
gambling it on the ups and downs of the stock market. If we act now, we 
can use the budget surplus to pay down the debt and use the interest 
saved to strengthen Social Security. This plan is a sound investment 
for America's future and for all Americans, young and old.

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