Congress will move on Social Security in September...

[liberal N proud]

"Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove told a group of college students and lobbyists yesterday that the House will move a Social Security reform bill before the Senate will. Rove said the House would act in September and the Senate would follow soon thereafter."



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". . .Representative James McCrery, the Louisiana Republican who heads the House Social Security Subcommittee , said the Ways and Means Committee will pass the accounts measure in September, allowing the legislation to be considered by the House before it adjourns for the year."



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". . . Grassley said he wasn't ready to abandon efforts to pass Social Security legislation -- President George W. Bush's top domestic priority -- though he acknowledged it would be an uphill battle. 'I'm not going to give up on personal accounts until the last minute,' he said."



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". . . Thomas has long said that he wants to deal with Social Security as part of a comprehensive retirement package that would cover savings, pensions and Social Security. Thomas said July 19 at the National Press Club that he will turn intensively to retirement security in early September, and that he is ready with new proposals."

"With Congress headed out of town at the end of this week for a break that lasts through Labor Day, House Republicans are holding an event today to remind people of their proposal to earmark the surplus in Social Security funds, which are scheduled to continue until baby-boomer retirements increase, for use in individual Social Security accounts."



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Mr. HOYER. ". . . there are two pieces of legislation, major pieces of legislation that the gentleman did not mention but have been talked about, . . . the Social Security legislation . . .

"Can the gentleman give me his thoughts on where they stand and when they might come on the agenda if, in fact, they will be coming on the agenda?"

Mr. DeLAY. . . . I have every expectation that the Committee on Ways and Means will put out a retirement security bill for us to consider in September or the first of October. . . ."

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"Mr. Bush, in a pep talk for a few hundred college students and business backers, said he is 'more committed than ever' to creating personal accounts from Social Security and reducing future scheduled benefits so the program is permanently solvent, according to several attendees. He was introduced by Treasury Secretary John Snow, who insisted that any legislation must provide for long-term solvency."

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"President George W. Bush refused on Friday to back down from his push to restructure Social Security despite dimming prospects for action by the U.S. Congress this year and the toll it has taken on his popularity."

"House of Representatives Republicans have put off until at least September action on even a pared-down version of Bush's plan to create private investment accounts out of the Social Security retirement program."

". . . 'Now's the time to act on this. I understand that some in Washington don't want to deal with the issue -- it's too politically sensitive,' he said. 'One thing that's not going to happen is me dropping the subject.'"

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". . . President Bush on Friday renewed his drive to restructure Social Security. . . . In remarks to several thousand people packed into an auditorium here, Bush vowed to continue pushing for his initiative."

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