Thomas Daschle: “That is exactly what I am saying. I think it is important for us to depoliticize the issue to ensure we find ways to…”

“That is exactly what I am saying. I think it is important for us to depoliticize the issue to ensure we find ways to address meaningful reform that will pass and will be signed into law. I am concerned. The Senator from Nevada mentioned ``getting religion.'' I am concerned that, while it is important to have religion, it is important to follow the practices of religion--if this is how we are going to characterize this new-found sensitivity to Social Security and Medicare--the facts do not comport with the current expressions of devotion to Social Security. The facts are, the Republican budget raids the Social Security trust fund by $17 billion, as was indicated, again, yesterday in the letter from the Congressional Budget Office. The facts indicate that there is a trap door in the lockbox proposed by Republicans that would actually allow any proposal to draw on the Social Security surplus, so long as you call it Social Security reform. You could call a tax cut Social Security reform, and it would qualify under the lockbox proposal made by our Republican colleagues. Call it reform and it opens the lockbox. That is the key. We used to have skeleton keys when I was young. The Republican lockbox has a skeleton key that would fit in any door. We need to get rid of these skeleton keys. We need to get on with real lockbox reform. We need to lock up Medicare as well; we need to make sure we are not going to use the $17 billion of trust fund money currently included in this budget.”