PRESIDENT CLINTON:
WORKING TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

We should seize this historic opportunity to act on Social Security. I believe that saving Social Security must be the central priority of the next Congress over the next year.

President Bill Clinton
November 4, 1998

Today at the White House, President Clinton meets with his economic advisors to discuss how to move forward and strengthen Social Security for the 21st Century. Also today, the Vice President will announce a new policy that will make it easier for victims of domestic violence to change their Social Security numbers and escape their abusers.

The Need To Reform Social Security. President Clinton has helped close the books on a generation of budget deficits, and is now committed to using this time of economic prosperity to ensure the long term stability and strength of Social Security for the 21st Century. By 2013, money put into Social Security will no longer be enough to fund what it pays out, and we will have to dip into the Social Security Trust Fund. By 2032, the trust fund will be empty, and the money Social Security takes in will only be enough to pay 72 percent of benefits. President Clinton has fought to ensure that the budget surplus is protected until we strengthen Social Security.

The President Is Working To Protect Social Security. Next month, President Clinton will hold the first ever White House Conference on Social Security, a two-day conference that will bring together members of Congress and the Administration, and experts in the field to begin the process of securing bi-partisan Social Security reform. The President believes that any changes or reforms to the current system should be measured against the following five objectives:

• Strengthening and Protecting Social Security For The 21st Century. Any Social Security reform proposal must be comprehensive and address the solvency problem the system will face in the 21st Century.
• Maintaining Universality and Fairness. For half a century, Social Security has been a progressive guarantee for all citizens. Reform should maintain this promise.
• Providing A Benefit People Can Count On. Regardless of economic ups and downs, Social Security must provide a solid and dependable foundation of retirement security.
• Preserving Financial Security For Low-Income And Disabled Beneficiaries. Reform must ensure that those who rely most on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income are not forgotten.
• Sustaining Fiscal Discipline. Projected budget surpluses should be reserved until we have strengthened Social Security for the 21st Century.

Vice President Gore Announces A New Program To Help Victims Of Domestic Abuse

Today, the Vice President announces that for the first time, victims of domestic violence will be able to get a new Social Security number simply by providing written affirmation of their domestic abuse from a third party, such as a local shelter, treating physician, or law enforcement official. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will instruct their field offices to work closely with local domestic violence shelters, the police, the courts, treating physicians, medical facilities, and psychologists to help victims of domestic violence get the documentation necessary to secure a new Social Security number. SSA will also post information on their website, www.ssa.gov, about steps victims need to take to change their number.

President Clinton and Vice President Gore:
Fighting To End Domestic Violence

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