Hilda L. Solis: “Mr. Chairman, last night I stood in this very same room with some of you here to argue against the raising of the debt…”

“Mr. Chairman, last night I stood in this very same room with some of you here to argue against the raising of the debt ceiling and from bankrupting our Social Security system for our current senior citizens and future baby boomers like myself and others. I am dismayed that this afternoon I have to return and make the very same argument again, raising the debt ceiling especially in such a backhanded way that unfairly forces us to make choices, choices of priorities. Make no mistake about it, make no mistake about it, Democrats do support our troops. We do support the war on terrorism; but we cannot sit idly by while the Bush administration and the Republican leadership continue to chip away at the support beams of Social Security in the name of patriotism. I ask, Is it patriotic to steal food and shelter from our seniors? Is it patriotic to force our seniors to choose between nutritious meals and their prescription drugs? Is it patriotic to ask our workers to pay into the Social Security system that may be dissolved before they have an opportunity to benefit from it, like myself? Mr. Speaker, the U.S. House of Representatives has over 61 women Representatives here now. But the United States is comprised of over 140 million women. And of those women, there are many who will be adversely affected by the radical shift in Social Security.”