C. W. Bill Young: “as one who has protected the fiscal integrity of Social Security Program as vigorously as any Member in this House, I…”

“as one who has protected the fiscal integrity of Social Security Program as vigorously as any Member in this House, I rise in strong support of this resolution. Social Security is a self-financing program where the payroll taxes paid by employees and employers go into a separate, actuarially sound trust fund and can only be use to pay retirement benefits to retired and disabled workers and their families. The Social Security trust funds cannot be used to provide for our national security, to pay for health care, or to build roads or bridges or anything else--except-- Social Security. They can only be used to pay the benefits promised to retired workers. This resolution expresses the sense of this Congress that in implementing a constitutional amendment providing for a balanced Federal budget, the Social Security Program and trust fund should be off limits. It reaffirms what I have long said and supported that in reducing the Federal budget deficit we should look to cutting spending in those areas which are driving our Nation deeper into debt. That certainly is not the Social Security trust fund which actually runs an annual surplus, last year which totaled $61 billion. The passage of this legislation prior to the general debate on the balanced budget amendment reaffirms our commitment to protect our Nation's Social Security recipients from attempts to balance the Federal budget at their expense.”