Bill Archer: “When I was first appointed to the Committee on Ways and Means in January of 1973, I took an immediate interest in Social…”

“When I was first appointed to the Committee on Ways and Means in January of 1973, I took an immediate interest in Social Security. There was no subcommittee then, but I knew how vital it was, not just to current retirees but to future generations, the most important program the Federal Government has. As a result of that, I was appointed by Ronald Reagan to the Social Security Commission in 1982. No one in this body recognizes more the importance of Social Security and how sacred it is. So let it be clear that there is a determination on my part and the part of the majority to protect, to guard, to reform and to save Social Security. But what we are talking about today is a different issue. No one should be fooled about it. If I believed, as my friend from Ohio said, that this is the only safe way to move, I would not be here urging an alternative. But the Rangel scheme will not dedicate 100 percent of the surplus to Social Security. Why? Because surplus, in his definition, is only what is left over after all of the spending that is urged upon the Congress occurs in each year. It is an open door to pave the way for Democrats to increase government spending, reduce the surplus that is available in each year and, at the same time, expand the size of government and grow the bureaucracy, grow the power of Washington, as my friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kasich) said.”