IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 214

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President and the Congress

should save Social Security as soon as possible and vigorously safeguard

Social Security surpluses, and that the President’s Commission to

Strengthen Social Security should recommend innovative ways to protect

workers’ financial commitment without benefit cuts or payroll tax increases.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

AUGUST 2, 2001

Mr. SHAW (for himself, Mr. THOMAS, Mr. CRANE, Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, Mr. HOUGHTON, Mr. HERGER, Mr. MCCRERY, Mr. CAMP, Mr.

SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. DUNN of Washington, Mr. COLLINS, Mr.

PORTMAN, Mr. ENGLISH, Mr. WATKINS of Oklahoma, Mr. HAYWORTH,

Mr. WELLER, Mr. HULSHOF, Mr. MCINNIS, Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky, Mr.

FOLEY, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin, Mr. BROWN of

South Carolina, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr.

DREIER, Mr. GOSS, Mr. HORN, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr.

NETHERCUTT, Mr. OSE, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania,

Mr. PUTNAM, Mr. SCARBOROUGH, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. STEARNS, Mr.

SWEENEY, Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma, Mr. WAMP, and Mr. YOUNG of Florida) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to

the Committee on Ways and Means

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President

and the Congress should save Social Security as soon

as possible and vigorously safeguard Social Security surpluses, and that the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security should recommend innovative ways
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to protect workers’ financial commitment without benefit

cuts or payroll tax increases.

Whereas Social Security provides essential income security

through retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for

over 45,000,000 Americans of all ages, without which

nearly 50 percent of seniors would live in poverty;

Whereas Social Security is of particular importance for low

earners, especially widows and women caring for children,

without which nearly 53 percent of elderly women would

live in poverty;

Whereas each payday, American workers send their hardearned payroll taxes to Social Security and in return are

promised income protection for themselves and their families upon retirement, disability, or death, and that commitment must be kept;

Whereas Social Security payments to beneficiaries will exceed

worker contributions to the trust fund beginning in 2016,

as demographics, including the aging baby boom generation and increasing life expectancies, will result in fewer

workers per beneficiary and threaten Social Security’s essential income safety net with financial instability and insolvency;

Whereas deferring action to save Social Security will result

in a loss of public confidence in the program, will increase the likelihood of spending cuts to other essential

programs, and will expose beneficiaries, particularly those

with low earnings, to poverty-threatening benefit cuts or

reduce workers’ take home pay through burdensome payroll tax increases;

Whereas workers’ ability to save and invest for their own retirement will continue to be particularly important, espe-
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cially for younger workers, to enhance their own retirement security; and

Whereas the President should be commended for recognizing

that Social Security is not prepared to fully fund the retirement of the baby boom and future generations and

for establishing the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security, which will report its recommendations

this fall: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the Sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) the President and the Congress should save

4 Social Security as soon as possible;

5 (2) Social Security surpluses must be vigorously

6 safeguarded and used only for purposes of saving

7 Social Security or reducing the publicly held debt;

8 and

9 (3) the President’s Commission to Strengthen

10 Social Security, recognizing the immense financial

11 commitment of every American worker into the So12 cial Security system, should present in its rec13 ommendations innovative ways to protect that com14 mitment without benefit cuts or payroll tax in15 creases.

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