Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I appreciate the comments of the senior Senator from Florida about Social Security. In my State--and it is not much different in Rhode Island, the State of the Presiding Officer--the average Social Security benefit is $14,000 a year. A huge percent--I think about half--of Social Security beneficiaries in Ohio rely on Social Security for more than half of their income. When I hear proposals here, which Senator Nelson also was speaking against, to make significant cuts to seniors who are getting $1,000 a month from Social Security and letting off hedge fund managers who are paying significantly lower tax rates than most people in the middle class--that the sacrifice is aimed toward the middle class and aimed toward seniors and not spread more evenly among people who are the most privileged of society--it bothers me, as it does, I know, the Presiding Officer. I rise today about a similar issue, about a Social Security issue also, calling on my colleagues in the Senate and in the House of Representatives to practice what we preach. Presently, the Congress and the White House are working to find agreement on ways to balance the budget, as we should. I was part of the effort in the 1990s. During the Clinton years we balanced the Federal budget.…”