Grassley Pushing SS Phase-OutThe New York Times reports today on Chuck Grassley's stance on Social Security phase-out: we're going to push it, whether you like it or not.
The Senate Finance Committee chairman, Charles E. Grassley, said Thursday that he would try to produce a Social Security bill with the support of Republicans alone, in an effort to jump-start a legislative effort now stymied by solid Democratic opposition.
Mr. Grassley, whose committee will play the lead role on Social Security, acknowledged that it was a risky strategy and that he would need to attract some Democratic support once the bill reached the full Senate, if not sooner. But he said, with some frustration, that he had been unable to get the Democrats on his committee to enter into negotiations unless he renounced President Bush's proposal to create private investment accounts in Social Security.
Mr. Grassley said he would not do that. As a result, he said, "I'm going to put together a Republican-only bill as a first step to getting bipartisan support because I can't lose time waiting for the Democrats to come to the table."
What this means: Grassley will push a bill containing all of the plans that are opposed by Democrats - and if the polls are to be believed - the general public.
(From the Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll: "The president is more than halfway through a 60-day tour of the nation to discuss his plans to add personal accounts to Social Security, and already has made a stop in Cedar Rapids. But the latest poll shows that just 26 percent of Iowans approve of his efforts to change Social Security, while 65 percent disapprove.")
It's pretty obvious by now that Grassley has no interest in representing his constituents on this matter. Drop him a note or give him a phone call. Sen. Grassley's contact information is here: http://grassley.senate.gov
(Josh Marshall also posted about Sen. Grassley's recent statement.)
