Jim Sensenbrenner: “Mr. Speaker, it is the same old story. When all else fails, drop the Social Security red herring. This constitutional…”

“Mr. Speaker, it is the same old story. When all else fails, drop the Social Security red herring. This constitutional amendment will not cut Social Security. If there is a revenue pinch, it will force Congress and the Nation to set priorities. Social Security has always been the top priority, and it always will be the top priority, because it is the principal part of our social safety net for senior citizens. So if the shoe starts to pinch because of a revenue shortfall, or the baby boom generation collecting the Social Security that they have earned, it will force cuts in other programs. We all know that there are huge wastes of money in the other programs, and this will provide the fiscal discipline for Congress to set better priorities than it historically has in the past.”