Political Quotes

“I come to the floor today to talk about America's number one antipoverty program for the elderly and the number one antipoverty program for children. That program is Social Security, our Nation's number one insurance plan. Currently, it is under siege. Both Senator Wyden and President Biden have, I think rightly, said that what this amounts to is a buzzword for cuts to Social Security: a fiscal commission that is designed to have backroom meetings without hearings, unamendable, yet bring to both floors of the House and Senate an up-or-down vote. This is put together by 16 people--4 who have no vote, 6 from the Senate, and 6 from the House--with only 7 votes required to pass a bill that goes directly to the floor for a vote. That is an abomination and dereliction of duty on behalf of the House and the Senate. I strongly oppose it. It has been 53 years since Congress has enhanced Social Security. These are your brothers, sisters, family members, neighbors, and the people you go to church with. This money comes directly back to every single congressional district and your community, and it goes to help people. The average Social Security check is $18,000 for a male and $14,000 for a female. There are 5 million of our fellow Americans who get below-poverty-level checks from the government because Congress hasn't taken responsibility. We have a plan to change that. We put our plan out on the floor. Mr. Speaker, contrast that with a behind-closed-door study.…”