May 02,2001

Grassley Comment on President's Social Security Commission


Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, is a long-time advocate ofpreserving Social Security for baby boomers and future generations. He held hearings on that issuevia the Special Committee on Aging, which he chaired until this year, and was a principal sponsorin the last Congress of bipartisan legislation to preserve Social Security. This year, Grassleyconvened a joint hearing with the House Ways and Means Committee to look at Social Security andMedicare’s financial future. Grassley made the following comment on President Bush’sannouncement of a Social Security commission.

“I commend the President for his commitment to Social Security reform.This issue requires leadership from both the Capitol and the White House. ThePresident’s timing is important, too. A complex and challenging task like savingSocial Security should get under way as quickly as possible. I hope President Bush’scommission will work closely with Congress to develop a plan that has strongbipartisan support. And I hope the Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill will keepan open mind when it comes to the critically important task of keeping SocialSecurity viable. I’m disturbed that some members of that leadership already areadvocating the position that Social Security is just fine as is. That’s not the case. Ifwe don’t take action, Social Security will go broke, plain and simple.”