FreedomWorks Key Votes in Support of S Con Res 83

FreedomWorks sent the following letter to all U.S. Senators today:

Dear Senator:

On behalf of more than 800,000 FreedomWorks activists nationwide, I strongly encourage you to VOTE YES on S Con Res 83. This will count as a DOUBLE WEIGHTED KEY VOTE when we calculate our economic scorecard. After each Congress, the results of FreedomWorks Economic Scorecards are shared with our members and the media in appropriate states.

This amendment to the budget resolution, introduced by Sens. DeMint and Crapo, would help Congress take steps to stop spending Social Security surpluses on other government programs. Voters are outraged when they find out their Social Security dollars are spent on other government programs and this practice must stop.
Congress has been raiding the Social Security surplus for over twenty years. Including interest, Congress has spent $1.7 trillion of Social Security money on other government programs. According to the Social Security Administration, Social Security will continue to run surpluses until 2017 at which time benefits will exceed revenues. This amendment would help Congress pass legislation to protect the $423 billion surplus that is expected over the next 5 years.

This amendment creates a reserve fund in the budget resolution that would allow Congress to pass legislation protecting all or part of the Social Security surpluses. It stipulates 3 requirements for any legislation considered under the budget:

1. Social Security surpluses must be used to pay for future Social Security benefits
2. No changes can be made to Social Security benefits for those born before Jan. 1, 1950
3. A voluntary option must be created to allow legal ownership of a portion of benefits
The amendment would force Congress to make fiscally responsible choices today to make Social Security and retirements more secure tomorrow.

The vote on this amendment is the first opportunity for the Senate to take a stand on the most important public policy challenge of our generation. This vote serves as a litmus test that will separate those who are perfectly comfortable with the status quo of the diversion of funds away from retirement security, and those who want a system of real retirement security that provides workers with real ownership and control of their savings. It will tell the American people whether the Senate wants to stop spending the Social Security surplus on other government programs, something any fiscally responsible Senator should want to do.

Again, we urge you to VOTE YES on S Con Res 83, a vote we will count as a DOUBLE WEIGHTED KEY VOTE when calculating the FreedomWorks Economic Scorecard. The FreedomWorks Economic Scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the Jefferson Award, which recognizes Senators with voting records that support economic freedom.

Sincerely,

Matt Kibbe
President and CEO
FreedomWorks