Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. form letter to constituent, 2002

FIELD(letterdate) FIELD(nameline) FIELD(title) FIELD(organization 1 ) FIELD(organization2) FIELD(addressl) FIELD(address2) FIELD(address3) FIELD(address4) IFNOTBLANK(city)FIELD(city), FIELD(state) FIELD(zip9)ENDIF Dear FIELD(salutation2b): Thank you for contacting me regarding the future solvency of the Social Security program and Medicare. I appreciate knowing your views. Social Security is the largest program in the federal budget and remains a vital part of our government. I believe it is critical to insure its strength and viability. Social Security has been enormously successful in reducing poverty and supplementing the retirement savings of millions of elderly Americans. In order to continue this success, reforms are necessary to address the foreseeable population changes that threaten the Social Security Trust Fund. Congress is committed to strengthening Social Security and Medicare. The House Republicans took the first step toward protecting Social Security for the future by passing a budget resolution that reserves the entire Social Security surplus over 10 years. To reinforce this commitment, Congress passed, with my support, H.Con.Res. 252, The Keeping the Social Security Promise Initiative, which Congressman Clay Shaw (R-FL) introduced, on December 12, 2002. Specifically, this legislation expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security should present in its recommendations innovative ways to protect the immense financial commitment of every American worker into the Social Security system without lowering benefits or increasing taxes; and (2) the President and the Congress should join to develop legislation to strengthen Social Security as soon as possible, which should recognize the obstacles women face in securing financial stability at retirement or in cases of disability or death, the unique needs of minorities and the role Social Security plays in preventing poverty and providing financial security, and guarantee current law promised benefits without increasing taxes. H.Con.Res. 252 is not the cure-all for the financial burdens Social Security faces in the future. Along with the President’s bipartisan recommendations, however, Congress has promised through the overwhelming House passage of this bill to protect Social Security and strengthen it for future generations. While Congress and the President explore innovative ways