Taxpayers Union Praises Paul for Protecting Social Security

FOR RELEASE: February 2, 2000

Washington, D.C. - Late last week, the independent, nonpartisan National Taxpayers Union Foundation praised Congressman Ron Paul as one of only seven members of the House of Representatives who voted not to spend one penny of the Social Security trust fund on other government programs last year.

The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) is a 300,000 member, nationwide organization. The NTU says that while the President and both political parties are claiming they have saved the supposed Social Security surplus, their study shows that politicians broke spending caps and developed tricks to hide the fact they spent money from American senior's retirement accounts.

Paul used the study to emphasize the need for true Social Security reform. In recent years, President Clinton and Congress have claimed to produce a balanced budget. This has only come as a result of taking money out of the Social Security trust fund.

Paul said, "No funds should be spent out of the Social Security trust fund except to pay pensions to beneficiaries. My top priority this Congress is to protect our senior's retirements. That is why the first bill I introduced this term was HR 219, the Social Security Preservation Act. This bill will make it illegal for politicians and bureaucrats in Washington from continuing to dip into the trust funds."

"Each year the President and Congress take the money Americans pay into Social Security and use it for purposes other than paying pensions," said Paul. "Simply, they are stealing from our senior citizens. The Social Security Preservation Act will restore Americans' faith in their retirement. It should be illegal for the government to use the trust fund for any purpose except administering the Social Security system."

According to NTU Director of Congressional Analysis Jeff Dircksen, Paul is a rare example of a House member who has a voting record of protecting the Social Security system, as opposed to dipping into it to pay for pork-barrel projects and other spending increases.

"Washington quickly adapted to the era of budget surpluses. The longer the surpluses stay in Washington, the greater the chance they will be spent," Dircksen said. "Taxpayers would be much better off if more members of Congress would vote like Congressman Paul. It's good to see someone taking a stand for the taxpayers and for their constituents."