Bush and Top Republicans Have Pledged to Bring Back Social Security Privatization in 2007, and Now a New York Republican has Confirmed Bush’s Attempt to Privatize

New Ad From New York Republican: “The Bush administration wanted to privatize Social Security.” [Walsh Ad, 9/22/06]

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, two weeks after the Wall Street Journal reported that President Bush hopes to take up Social Security privatization immediately in the next Congress, New York Republican Jim Walsh confirmed Bush’s privatization goals. In an ad that just hit the airwaves in New York, Walsh says that the “Bush administration wanted to privatize Social Security.” Bush’s plan, and the one that Republicans in Congress will no doubt rubberstamp if resurrected, could put at risk the guaranteed benefits seniors rely on, in addition to adding trillions to the national debt. Republicans in Congress have already voted to raid the Social Security trust fund and with a Republican majority in 2007, they will try once again to privatize Social Security.

“American seniors deserve the benefits they were promised and future generations should do not deserve to be stuck with the bill for any more of Bush’s failed economic policies,” said Bill Burton, communications director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Instead of a Republican Congress that will rubber stamp President Bush’s proposal to privatize Social Security and drive us deeper into debt, we need a Congress that will hold the president accountable and strengthen Social Security. Jim Walsh has a record of supporting the president nearly nine out of every ten times and New York families won’t be fooled by yet another election year makeover by a Bush Republican. It’s time for a new direction.”

Privatization is on the March:

George W. Bush: President Bush recently told the Wall Street Journal that he plans to bring back his fight to privatize Social Security in January 2007. The Wall Street Journal reports aboard Air Force One, “He [Bush] had been saying that he hoped to revisit Social Security reform next year…” [Wall Street Journal, 9/9/06]

More Bush: “Now is the time for the Congress and the President to work together to reform Medicare and reform Social Security…If we can’t get it done this year, I’m going to try next year. And if we can't get it done next year, I’m going to try the year after that, because it is the right thing to do...Now is the time to solve the problems of Medicare and Social Security, and I want your help… I’d like to put this on your agenda, and let you know the White House and members of the Senate and the House are anxious to deal with this issue and get it done once and for all.” [Bush remarks to Manhattan Institute, 6/27/06]

House Republican Leader John Boehner: “If I'm around in a leadership role come January, we're going to get serious about this.” [Washington Times, 7/31/06]

Karl Rove: “I will point out that no president has made a more concerted or determined effort to reform Social Security, our nation’s largest entitlement. The president encountered enormous resistance to what were bold but practical reforms…But President Bush will continue to keep entitlement reform front and center on the nation’s political agenda.” [Rove remarks to the American Enterprise Institute, 5/15/06]