Political Quotes

“it was my intention to offer a modification of the amendment I offered yesterday on Social Security. Given the parliamentary situation right now, I can't do that. I intend to do that as soon as I can. Mr. President, the original Social Security protection amendment that I introduced earlier would have prevented Congress from cutting Social Security benefits, raising the retirement age or privatizing Social Security without the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Senate and the House. I introduced this amendment because I strongly believe that Congress should not be able to cut the hard-earned Social Security benefits of current or future eligible recipients without a super-majority vote in both the Senate and the House, and I continue to hold those views. I have heard from some of my colleagues--colleagues who strongly support protecting Social Security--that adopting this amendment would have the effect of changing the rules of the Senate and establishing new precedents. While I do not share those views, I have 1istened to my colleagues' concerns and worked with the majority leader to modify this amendment. As a result, Majority Leader Reid is a cosponsor of this modified amendment. There is not one Senator or Member of the House who is more committed to protecting Social Security than Majority Leader Reid and I thank him for his leadership on this issue.…”