Kent Conrad: “However unpopular they are now, they were the right steps.”

We did a whole series of things in our Social Security reform not to discourage people from working, but to encourage them to continue working if they are able to do so.

Can I just respond quickly, Mr. Chairman, and say when Simpson-Bowles went down, a group of six of us in the Senate, three Democrats, three Republicans, were asked by leadership to see if we couldn't come up with a way forward to adopt the…

Social Security's financial challenge affects nearly our entire society, and the solutions will require a broad-based approach.

We admire that, and I can say on both sides of the aisle, people recognize the job he did as Budget Committee Chairman.