WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Larry Kissell (NC-08) took to the floor of the House of Representatives today to stand up for protecting seniors, discussing his opposition to the FY2012 budget proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.  The Ryan budget would eventually abolish the Medicare program, instead providing seniors with vouchers to use in high-cost private markets.

“We must stand by those who have stood by us,” said Kissell. “These are the heroes. These are the stories that we know, that all of us have. Whether it’s our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles, whatever they may be, we cannot forget about them as individuals. We cannot forget about their stories, and we cannot let them become just political bargaining chips.”

Kissell also announced plans today to introduce the “Social Security and Medicare Protection Act”, legislation Kissell will cosponsor with Republican Congressman Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania. This measure would prohibit Congress from borrowing from Medicare and Social Security trust funds, ultimately removing these two important programs from the budget line and protecting their solvency.

“Congress must keep its hands out of the funding for these programs our seniors rely on,” said Kissell. “We must preserve and protect Medicare and Social Security. Funding for these important programs should only be used to pay benefits to retirees. We must take the livelihood of our seniors off the negotiating table and forever keep the promises we’ve made. We owe it to our seniors.”