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 in-
creases.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 2, 2001
Mr. SHAW (for himself, Mr. THOMAS, Mr. CRANE, Mrs. JOHNSON of Con-
necticut, 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 Flor-
ida) 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 sur-
pluses, and that the President’s Commission to Strength-
en Social Security should recommend innovative ways
•HCON 214 IH
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 hard-
earned payroll taxes to Social Security and in return are
promised income protection for themselves and their fam-
ilies upon retirement, disability, or death, and that com-
mitment 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 genera-
tion and increasing life expectancies, will result in fewer
workers per beneficiary and threaten Social Security’s es-
sential income safety net with financial instability and in-
solvency;
Whereas deferring action to save Social Security will result
in a loss of public confidence in the program, will in-
crease 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 pay-
roll tax increases;
Whereas workers’ ability to save and invest for their own re-
tirement will continue to be particularly important, espe-
•HCON 214 IH
cially for younger workers, to enhance their own retire-
ment security; and
Whereas the President should be commended for recognizing
that Social Security is not prepared to fully fund the re-
tirement of the baby boom and future generations and
for establishing the President’s Commission to Strength-
en Social Security, which will report its recommendations
this fall: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the Sense of the Congress that—
(1) the President and the Congress should save
Social Security as soon as possible;
(2) Social Security surpluses must be vigorously
safeguarded and used only for purposes of saving
Social Security or reducing the publicly held debt;
and
(3) the President’s Commission to Strengthen
Social Security, recognizing the immense financial
commitment of every American worker into the So-
cial Security system, should present in its rec-
ommendations innovative ways to protect that com-
mitment without benefit cuts or payroll tax in-
creases.
Æ