SOCIAL SECURITY:

Social Security is a guaranteed benefit � one which helps families live with dignity in times of retirement and misfortune. It is not only the single largest source of retirement income in the U.S, but also acts as a critical source of income for families suffering from the death or disability of a parent. In fact, about 30 percent of Social Security beneficiaries receive disability or survivor benefits.

I hope that Congress will put aside politically-driven plans, like privatization, and instead focus on fixing Social Security and increasing personal savings. Under current law, Social Security is projected to be solvent through 2041, after which it will still be able to pay 78% of the scheduled benefits. Thus, there is no reason to rush into any extreme or ill-conceived plans.

I will continue taking an active role in working to ensure that Social Security remains a guaranteed benefit for retirees, disabled workers, and their survivors�helping families live with dignity in retirement and misfortune. To accomplish this goal, we must reduce the deficit so that the Social Security surplus is not used to finance other government programs. We must work together as we did when we successfully reformed Social Security in 1983 and Medicaid in 1997, to find a fiscally responsible, common-sense solution which will extend the life of the most successful insurance policy in our nation�s history.