Hartford, WI - U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today outlined his legislation to protect Social Security, both by cutting wasteful spending programs and staying the course toward a balanced budget without raiding the Social Security Trust Fund.

"The most immediate problem facing the Social Security system today is the continued use of a budget gimmick that effectively lets the government use Social Security Trust Fund revenues to pay for other government programs and tax cuts," Feingold said.

Feingold introduced a bill to put an end to this kind of bookkeeping sleight-of-hand by mandating continuation of the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) law, which requires that any proposals for tax cuts or new mandatory spending be paid for without dipping into the Trust Fund. Feingold's legislation, called the Social Security Trust Fund Protection Act and co-authored with Senator Fritz Hollings of South Carolina, would ensure that PAYGO stays in place until the federal deficit is eliminated, without any shortcuts that will come back to haunt us later.

In addition to his PAYGO legislation, Feingold has introduced six bills to cut wasteful spending. "Tightening our belts is the best way to protect Social Security -- that way there's no budget shortfall to cover up, and no need for Congress to raid the Social Security Trust Fund," Feingold said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't difficult to identify wasteful spending programs that the federal government could do without," Feingold said.

Feingold's deficit-cutting proposals include his bill to reduce the number of presidential political appointees from an average of 2,700 to 2,000, which would save $333 million over five years, and his proposal to terminate the Navy's flawed F/A -18 E/F or Super Hornet fighter and attack plane, for a savings of more than $15 billion over the next 10 years.

Feingold's eighth Listening Session of 1999, and 440th since he was first elected in 1992, was held at the Senior Friends-Hartford Senior Center, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Feingold's ninth Listening Session of his term, and 441st since he was first elected, took place at the Port Washington Senior Center beginning at 10:45 a.m. Feingold has renewed his pledge to hold Listening Sessions in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties every year, after keeping his promise to do so during his first term.