Political Quotes

“I rise in strong support of H.R. 4277, the Social Security Administrative Reform Act. A few weeks ago, the trustees of the Social Security trust fund reported that funds for paying benefits will run out in 2029, 7 years earlier than estimated last year. This report highlights the need for Congress to make some meaningful changes in the Social Security system. Today, 9 out of 10 workers contribute payroll taxes to the Social Security trust fund with the promise that they will get benefit payments when they retire. It is our responsibility to the American work force to protect and strengthen the Social Security system to ensure that the Federal Government keeps this promise to both current recipient's and future beneficiaries. H.R. 4277 is a step in this direction. In recent years, the Government agency that administrators Social Security has been vulnerable to political and budgetary pressures. There have been numerous cutbacks in the administration of this program, despite the growing number of recipients. The result has been increased payment errors, unanswered phones and a backlog on processing applications. This legislation would separate the Social Security Administration from the Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] and make it an independent agency governed by a Social Security Board.”