John Thune: “I would say, on behalf of the people that I serve in the State of South Dakota, that we believe, again, that, as a…”

“I would say, on behalf of the people that I serve in the State of South Dakota, that we believe, again, that, as a matter of principle, that the Federal Government is too big, and it spends too much, and that we can find ways to continue to reduce the cost of government, making it more efficient, find that 1 percent in savings that enables us to protect and preserve and safeguard the retirement security for every South Dakotan, for every American by not having to dip in and to raid the Social Security Trust Fund. That is a principle that is nonnegotiable. I hope that in these negotiations that will come up now with the White House that we can come up with a solution that serves the people of this country who depend upon programs that are essential but at the same time allows us to balance this budget, stay on the track that we are on, the course that we are on, and do it in a way that keeps us from going into Social Security.”