Mark Kelly: “Republicans have proposed to do something that should have been done a long time ago. The Republican budget plan puts…”

“Republicans have proposed to do something that should have been done a long time ago. The Republican budget plan puts 100 percent of the retirement surplus into a safe deposit box to be used exclusively for Social Security and Medicare. The retirement surplus, that is, the surplus from FICA taxes taken out of our paychecks, is the only reason that the budget is not in surplus. If we did not count the money in the Social Security Trust Fund, the Federal budget would still be in deficit to the tune of about $20 billion. Social Security and Medicare have really divided the parties this year. Talk about Medicare. Republicans propose a lockbox and a willingness to debate the Breaux Commission's finding on Medicare reform. Democrats ask for continued raids on the Social Security Trust Fund, more IOUs, and a veto of the Breaux Commission out of hand, no system reforms of Medicare. They would rather scare seniors once again instead of trying to solve the problems. Our seniors, Mr. Speaker, deserve better.”