Bush Urges Congress to Discuss Soc. Sec.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Wednesday exhorted members of Congress to talk to their constituents about the Social Security recess during the coming holiday recess, The Associated Press reported.

Bush told reporters at a news conference that he understands overhauling the venerable government retirement program is "a difficult issue.'' The president urged member of the House and Senate to have a dialogue with people in their states and districts but also urged them not to dwell on "Band-Aid'' solutions. Discussions should focus on a permanent fix for Social Security, he said.

Bush also claimed the administration is making progress in convincing Americans that nothing will change for retirees or those who are near retirement and that the system needs to be changed to help provide retirement security for younger Americas.

Meanwhile, Senators unanimously agreed that strengthening Social Security was "a vital national priority'' but they split along party lines on what to do about it in the first votes on Bush's proposal. In one exception to the party divide, five Republicans broke ranks and voted with the Democrats in favor of a resolution declaring, "Congress should reject any Social Security plan that requires deep benefit cuts or a massive increase in debt.''

Also, the Congressional Budget Office released a new analysis Tuesday of the president's budget proposal, and estimated that if all Americans signed up for the accounts as outlined by Bush, they would cost $969 billion from 2009 to 2015. The budget analysts said the cost would fall to $646 billion if only two-thirds of eligible workers opened the accounts.

-- NYSSCPA.org News Staff

Posted on 3/16/05