[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16064-16065]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ENTITLEMENT REFORMS MUST BE ADDRESSED

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, over the next 29 days, the 
President has a huge responsibility to work together with Congress and 
find a solution to avert the fiscal cliff. With over $16 trillion in 
debt, our Nation is at a crossroads. We must rein in our out-of-control 
spending by addressing entitlement reform, a driving force that is 
jeopardizing our long-term fiscal security.
  According to a recent blog post from The Heritage Foundation:

       Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are on auto pilot. 
     It's not even subject to the regular budget process. Spending 
     on just those three programs will jump from 10.4 percent of 
     gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012 to 18.2 percent in 2048, 
     meaning it will require every single cent of Federal taxes 
     collected.

  Because of this fact, we must reform entitlement programs to protect 
current participants and to ensure that future generations will 
benefit, rather than inherit more debt caused by out-of-control 
spending. It is my hope that the President will reconsider his recent 
proposal and work with Republicans to save America's entitlement 
systems, which are a vital safety net.

[[Page 16065]]

  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

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