Political Quotes

“Mr. President, as a father, grandfather, and doctor, there are few issues that are more important to me than making sure Social Security benefits are protected for both current and future generations. While both the Social Security Disability Insurance program and the Social Security Insurance program will be exhausted during my kids' lifetime, the disability program's finances are particularly dire. Since 2005, the disability trust fund has paid out more in benefits each year than taxpayers pay back in. Last year alone the shortfall was $32 billion. As a result, the trust fund will run out of money by 2016, after which the Social Security Administration, the ``Agency,'' will only be able to pay 81 percent of disability benefits to the 11 million Americans currently dependent on them. This outcome is unacceptable. Faced with the impending insolvency of the disability program, politicians have debated the principal causes of the trust fund's rapidly expanding shortfall. Some argue the program does not need reform, believing that the increase in the disability rolls is due to factors beyond our control. Citing aging baby-boomers and the rise of women in the workplace, opponents of reform argue that dramatically rising disability spending was and is unavoidable. That is simply wrong. Since 1989, the percentage of working-age Americans receiving disability benefits has more than doubled, while the percentage of Americans reporting a work limitation has remained fairly stable.…”