State
posted
Nov 29, 2012
On Tuesday, Nov. 27, Sen. Bernie Sanders welcomed White House
assurances that Social Security benefits won't be cut as part of
negotiations on a year-end deficit-reduction deal.
"This is a step in the right direction for more than 55 million
Americans and 128,000 Vermonters who have earned Social
Security benefits today and every working American who will receive
Social Security benefits in the future," said Sanders, the founder
of the Senate Defending Social Security Caucus. "The simple truth
is that Social Security has not contributed a nickel to the
national debt so it makes no sense for it to be part of deficit
negotiations," he said.
"The American people have been clear that Social Security is
enormously important to their wellbeing and that it should not be
cut. The election and poll after poll show clearly that the
American people want the wealthiest people and the largest
corporations in this country, who are doing phenomenally well, to
play a significant role in reducing the deficit," Sanders
added.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday that Social
Security should be addressed separately from the lame-duck deficit
negotiations. "We should address the drivers of the deficit and
Social Security currently is not a driver of the deficit," Carney
said.
