Byron Dorgan: “Actually the words ``safety net'' came from President Ronald Reagan who described a series of programs that represented…”

“Actually the words ``safety net'' came from President Ronald Reagan who described a series of programs that represented the safety net, an important one of which is Social Security. I do not expect anyone here would make the case that Social Security is welfare or that Ronald Reagan meant that Social Security was welfare. That is a program workers pay into and at some point get some returns when they reach retirement. So to use the words ``safety net,'' using the term of President Reagan, was to refer to the opportunity to try to provide some help for people who need some help through a series of programs, some of which might be welfare but many of which were not, including Social Security which is not a welfare program and the farm program which was never a welfare program.”