[Page H157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ADDRESSING SOCIAL SECURITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Connecticut (Mr. Larson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the 
concern that faces the United States Congress, one that it has avoided 
and neglected for more than 54 years.
  Richard Nixon was the last President to enhance Social Security. That 
was in 1971. All of us are concerned on both sides of the aisle, but 
concern is no substitute for action. It is long overdue that Congress 
takes a vote on behalf of the American people.
  Social Security is more than a pension program. I think the American 
public knows it and is getting aroused because there are 70 million 
Americans that are on Social Security and 10,000 baby boomers a day 
become eligible for Social Security.
  Mr. Speaker, for example, in your district alone there are over 
175,000 Social Security recipients. It is broken down into those who 
receive pensions, those who get spousal benefits, those who get widow 
benefits, children, and, of course, disabilities. More veterans rely on 
Social Security disability than they do on the VA.
  It is not emphasized enough, but the other key thing is: Social 
Security is the best economic development program that there is in the 
country. Every district, on average, gets over $200 million coming into 
that district on a monthly basis.
  Where do they spend that money? Nobody gets wealthy on Social 
Security. That is for sure. That money goes right back into the 
economy. It becomes something that Congress hasn't adjusted since 1971. 
I think there are a few things everyone would acknowledge that have 
happened to the economy since 1971.
  Certainly, Congress is neglecting its responsibility. We can point 
fingers every way, but the bottom line is Congress needs to act. 
Congress needs to vote.
  President Trump has called for tax cuts for people on Social 
Security. I applaud him. We have had tax cuts in our proposal for the 
last decade. There has been no action on that.
  The difference between what we are proposing and what President Trump 
is proposing is that we pay for ours because if it is not paid for, 
what ends up happening is the Social Security fund will be bankrupted. 
It is still the number one antipoverty program for the elderly and the 
number one antipoverty program for children.
  This economic development piece is something, again, that all of us 
ought to be able to embrace. I will provide every Member of Congress 
with a card that will demonstrate how many recipients they have and how 
much money comes into their district on a monthly basis.
  For us, meaning the United States Congress, we are the only body that 
can act. The President can't do it through executive order. The Supreme 
Court isn't going to take it up. Only the United States Congress can. 
Inaction means the fund will be cut. Unpaid action means the fund will 
be cut drastically.
  Imagine there are more than 5 million people that get a below-
poverty-level check from Social Security, having paid in all their 
lives. That was not the guarantee that they signed up for.
  There are close to 35 million people in total. This is the only 
benefit they have, again, attesting to the great vision and leadership 
of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, knowing this is actually the safety net 
of capitalism. This allows people to take risks because even if people 
were to fail, there is something there to catch them and help them and 
their families through this.
  Congress has not acted since 1971. Some will say: No, no, wait a 
minute. Didn't Tip O'Neill? Yes, they did. It was primarily led by 
Senator Bob Dole, but Tip O'Neill got together with Ronald Reagan who 
was adamantly opposed to Social Security. Mr. Dole convinced him, no, 
this is the right thing to do.
  What they did is they extended the solvency of Social Security to its 
current position. It is not as long as it should have been, but, 
nonetheless, it is an action that went in the right direction.
  I know the Speaker to be a man of good will and integrity. I hope 
this is something that we can bring up and work on to get this done on 
behalf of the American people.

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