[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11196]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY

  (Mr. CANTOR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CANTOR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about a serious 
challenge facing our government. Social Security, Medicaid, and 
Medicare are growing at alarming rates. By 2042, these three programs 
alone are going to comprise 26 percent of our gross domestic product. 
This number far exceeds today's entire Federal budget in relative 
terms, which is roughly 18 percent of GDP.
  Our focus now in this House should be to strengthen Social Security 
and to ensure that it is around for our children and grandchildren. 
Along with the leadership of President Bush, this House must commit 
itself and take advantage of an opportunity to enact real reforms to 
the Social Security system, making this vital program better for all 
recipients.
  We can no longer afford to have partisanship prevail on the other 
side of the aisle, and instead invite all to join the debate of ideas 
to ensure progress in this crucial debate.

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