Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the answer is yes, it does. Senator Nelson has put his finger on a very serious problem; that is, every year because of policies made here in the Senate, we do a calculation of cost-of-living changes for Social Security. The problem is that calculation for cost-of-living changes is based on only about one- quarter of the population. It is not based on the whole population, and it is certainly not based just on those who receive Social Security. We know from independent analysis that costs have gone up for seniors, but because of the policies made here in Congress, there will be no cost-of-living increase for seniors this year. That means they face high costs. Yet, at the same time, they are going to have a flat income. The proposal here to give them a one-time payment of about $581 is enough to pay 3 months' worth of food bills for the average senior. It is enough to help cover the costs of prescription drugs that are not covered by Medicare. These are significant differences for seniors who most need it, and I appreciate Senator Nelson coming here early to talk about and raise this important issue. He is exactly spot on about the difficulty with this issue. I yield back. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time of the Senator from Florida has expired.”