Xavier Becerra

Americans support Social Security. They have earned it through their weekly payroll contributions.

We build; we don't tear down in America.

Social Security has never contributed a penny to our current deficit or to our national debt.

the handling of those tax-exempt applications in that process at the IRS was outrageous and intolerable.

the buck has to stop somewhere.

So by the way, I think a point we should make, Mr. Chairman, is that Social Security has money to pay for its administration.

Let's remember, even before the budget cuts, Social Security was extremely efficient, spending something around a penny, actually less than a penny on program administration for every dollar it spends paying the benefits American workers…

Mr. Chairman, there are consequences in not funding Social Security properly.

And I think, Mr. Bertoni, in your, I think, if I am looking at your testimony, your written testimony, you point out that, in a chart, back in 2002 there were 50.8 million, about 51 million Americans who were receiving benefits from Social…

And so we have got to deal with the fact that we need the capacity to deal with more folks quickly and accurately so we don't pay out benefits to people who don't deserve them and we don't delay benefits for those who have earned them.

As I said, it is budget cuts, budget cuts that have left the Social Security Administration without enough resources to serve the public the way Social Security should and the way Americans want the program they have paid for to serve them.

What is the result? Well, Social Security at some point had to give.

Let's remember, the number of people that have been paying into and are now beginning to collect their benefits because they paid into it is not shrinking, it is growing.

I just said today using Social Security funds to pay for deficits that it did not cause is the problem.

To cut benefits, to discuss a budget deficit caused by unpaid for wars or tax cuts that went to very wealthy folks, that is just putting it on the backs of seniors.

We all say we want to preserve Social Security. This is about making sure for our kids and our grandkids, it is working as well as it has worked for our parents and grandparents.

Social Security currently has about a $2.7 trillion surplus.

Any time someone says to you Social Security is broke or bankrupt or causing our deficit, I will say emphatically here that is contrary to the evidence.

I think I would be on very safe ground to say anyone who says Social Security is broke or bankrupt is lying because the facts show just the opposite.

By direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: H. Res. 163 Resolved, That the following named Member be and is hereby elected to…

The biggest impact by the tax increase caused by the chained CPI hits families who are earning somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000 because they would be pushed up into the higher brackets faster.

I am glad you clarified, once again, that some of these provisions in your package are part of a previous negotiation with Republicans, Speaker Boehner in particular, to try to resolve our fiscal issues in a balanced way.

My understanding is that by going to the chained CPI, you would end up cutting benefits earned by seniors who paid into the Social Security system, you would cut benefits earned by veterans for their retirement, you would cut benefits…

It is very disturbing that the folks who are going to get hit hardest, the $230 billion that you save in the budget from moving toward a chained CPI is by impacting seniors, veterans, and middle-class Americans.

The person who makes $450,000 in income will see a very small hit from the change to a chained CPI when it comes to what they pay in taxes, whereas the person earning $53,000, the middle of America, will see a much greater increase in…