Mike Johnson

The fact is the President, along with the Democrats and Republicans, have agreed to Social Security's funding levels.

I hope at some point soon, Mr. Chairman, we will finally have a hearing in this committee with jurisdiction on the issue of the Social Security Administration's budget which has been cut to the point where American citizens and those who…

We need to make sure that we all face the challenges that Social Security will encounter together.

Today, nearly 10,000 Americans sign up for retirement benefits every day. The recession coupled with a slow economic recovery has resulted in a wave of new disability claims, increased backlogs and growing wait times for a frustrated…

As a builder, we never include that as part of our computation.

I was once a homebuilder, so I understand the important role housing plays in our economy.

I very much enjoyed working with the Vice Chair, the gentleman from New Jersey, Bill Pascrell, and we had our fill of meetings on real estate.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks for holding this important hearing on tax reform and residential real estate.

Innovation is the key to economic growth because it is how we can compete in a global marketplace.

But for innovation to succeed, there must be adequate capital to mature these inventions from the lab to market.

We made promises to people years ago that we cannot keep today and then we try to soft soap it and really, I wish policy were the driving force in this town and not politics.

Americans deserve a Social Security program they and their children and grandchildren can count on.

We know we have to do something to protect Social Security long term, and we will do that.

I want to help veterans. Will they be better off if we have a debt crisis, folks?

Easily. We are not going to quit paying Social Security. Let's face it.

If we really care about Americans, I do not care about Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, whatever you are in this country, there is always that ability to speak about it openly and do it the right way, but do it honestly…

Mr. Chairman, I am looking forward to hearing the testimony because there is nothing more important than the security of Social Security.

Let us remember that a typical American middle income worker at the age of 65 under the Chained CPI would lose about $140 of his or her annual benefit if Chained CPI were to become the law.

The Chained CPI affects not just seniors, disabled, children or widows, it affects veterans who will see benefits they have earned cut.

When we discuss Social Security, we should discuss it in that context of the reality and the truth of what Social Security is.

We need to protect and preserve Social Security.

Americans deserve action to protect and preserve Social Security, and the inclusion of Chained CPI in the President's budget is a welcome acknowledgement that we must take action to shore up the program for future generations.

U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, today announced the first in a series of hearings on the President's and other bipartisan entitlement reform proposals.

I happen to agree with you.

Long term, it reduces the Social Security deficit by just 10 percent. It is not immense.