Steve Israel Quotes

I would love to see a march on Washington that says 'Save our Social Security'.

But there is a need to explore ways we can preserve the promise of Social Security for future generations.

Certainly Social Security needs to be reformed.

We must work together to save and strengthen Social Security not just for my father's generation but also for my daughters' generation.

Ultimately I think what people care about, particularly on an issue like Social Security, is not really what's right and what's left but what's right and what's wrong.

Since Social Security was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 to ensure economic security for American workers, poverty among American seniors has dramatically declined.

Specifically, I am concerned about the long-term condition of Social Security. I am committed to ensuring that current beneficiaries and those nearing retirement face no reduction in benefits, while preserving this vital program for future generations.

To me, it is clear that the Social Security program is constitutional.

No matter how you cut it, this real debate on personal accounts is about the legitimacy of Social Security; it's not about the solvency of Social Security.

I think we need to make sure that we are putting Social Security on a sustainable path. It's absolutely something that the federal government is going to be involved in, in the future.

I do not believe that the Social Security system is in crisis. The Social Security Administration itself recently reported that the system is able to pay full benefits as they are defined today until at least 2042.

The Republicans opposed Social Security in 1933 when President Roosevelt first put it in. They didn’t want it then and they do not want it now. I would not want anyone’s grandmother to be reading the Wall Street stock market pages to figure out how she might earn more than the staff of the Social Security Administration.

We ought to deal with Social Security in a separate conversation that is not part of deficit reduction.

What's lost in this whole debate, unfortunately, is that Social Security is not a giveaway where we take money to give to other people. It's a contract with the government... that's worked for 75 years. It's the most successful government program that we've ever had.

Small changes done now would preserve Social Security at full benefit.

It's hard to exaggerate the importance of preserving the financial integrity of Social Security.

Despite the state of denial exhibited by most Democrats, Americans all across the nation acknowledge that changes are necessary to preserve Social Security for today's younger workers.

The White House has embarked on a mission to convince the people of our country that Social Security is in dire need of drastic change in order to save it for all workers.

I do not believe that the Social Security system is in crisis.

You know, Floridians, we've paid into Social Security. Like a lot of other government programs, we sent money to D.C. We expect to get that money back. We expect that our Social Security is real. So, we have to fix Social Security.

One poll shows that by 61 percent to 29 percent Americans under 40 say that Social Security needs to be fixed.

Congress has changed the Social Security system over time, and over 20 times in the past Congress has raised taxes on Social Security in payroll taxes into the system.

I don't support getting rid of Social Security.

I know of no serious proposals that would change the way Social Security operates for today's seniors.

Social Security's future has gotten worse, and each year we delay reform adds to the cost we are pushing off onto our children.