Lawmakers Balk At Social Security Cuts

by Kyle LaFleur— Talk Radio News Service

Senators, Congressmen and members of the Strengthen Social Security Campaign organized a conference call today to speak on their pledged efforts to protect Social Security from privatization, harmful benefit cuts and raising the retirement age.

The pledge comes as the Deficit Reduction Commission announced plans to hold a December’s first vote on a plan to reduce the deficit and national debt, keeping changes to Social Security open as a possibility to do so.

“I think that the commission, with all due respect to all of them, should keep their paws off this subject matter,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.). “I’m happy to be here, with 104 other members of the Congress who have joined with us in opposing all cuts to social security.”

According to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), if 14 of the 18 members of the commission approve the plan it will make its way to Congress for a full vote during the lame duck session. The Senator sent a clear message to the commission by saying any plan that would cut benefits, privatize or raise the retirement age to social security would be shot down by Congress. 

“We understand that a national debt of $13 trillion and a $1.3 trillion deficit are major problems for our country which must be addressed,” said Sanders, “It just so happens, however, that Social Security is not the cause of those problems and in fact has not added one dime to either the federal deficit or the national debt.” 

Sanders also blasted House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Republicans for supporting hiking the retirement age to 70.

“Forty-five percent of workers who are 58 years or older are employed in jobs that are physically demanding,” said Sanders. “For many of these workers, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible to work until 70.”

Legislators in on the call urged voters to use this issue as a way to gauge candidates in the upcoming November elections. 

“I think we have to be very clear about what positions the different parties and different members of Congress have on this issue,” Sanders said.