Washington, D.C.,
Dec 13, 2011 -
Recently, Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives about the importance of protecting hard-earned Social Security benefits from cuts to the federal budget.
Earlier this year, Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011, creating the 12 member Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, which failed to reach an agreement last month on $1.5 trillion in cuts to the federal budget over the next decade.
Congressman Reyes voiced the concerns of Social Security beneficiaries to the Committee on Deficit Reduction, and will continue to work to make sure that budget cuts don’t fall on the backs of seniors.
Congressman Silvestre Reyes delivered the following statement on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on protecting Social Security:
Click on the video to see Congressman Reyes' speech on the floor
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“Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the millions of people in this country -- including the 55 million seniors, disabled workers, widows, and children currently receiving Social Security benefits -- that have had their Social Security unnecessarily targeted as part of the debt-reduction talks.
"Now more than ever, we cannot jeopardize earned benefits of seniors who worked so hard over their lifetimes to retire with dignity. Every senior deserves dignity in their retirement - every senior, no exceptions.
“For almost two-thirds of America's seniors, Social Security is their primary source of retirement income. Social Security is also a lifeline for workers who become disabled and for families who lose a breadwinner. In the 16th District of Texas that I represent, over 98,000 El Pasoans receive Social Security benefits. They depend on these benefits to buy groceries, pay utility bills and fill up their gas tanks.
“As their federal elected representative, it is my responsibility to uphold the decades-old promise to the American worker for years of hard work and contributions to ensure dignity in retirement, assistance if disabled, and support for their surviving children.
“That is my position, and you can be sure that I will vote against any irresponsible, misinformed, and short-sighted proposal that seeks to balance the budget on the backs of our seniors, working families, veterans, children, people who face career-ending disabilities, and other underserved populations.”
