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progressive caucus are trying to protect social security which does not contribute to the deficit. social security does not contribute to the deficit. it's not a deficit driver. why is it on the table? shouldn't be. the fact is we are trying to avert defaulting on america's debt. progressive caucus members voted to raise the debt cerealing in a clean vote just a few weeks ago. we are about protecting american america's economy and talking about putting americans back to work. we are pushing a pro-job agenda and asking the weltiest americans to do their fair share. we are not the ones obstructing here. we support the president's efforts to negotiate. the reality is that social security doesn't contribute to the deficit. why are we trying to gauge and change that at a time when a default is looming our country. >> is that your message to the president? is your message give on other things? both sides have to give and you agree on that. what is that you think you as a
at the very top. just like we shouldn't be providing tax breaks to the oil companies. now, what the president said yesterday with respect to social security is that he thought we could get together, as i said, like reagan and tip o'neill did. let me make this point about social security, though, we need to make sure we preserve and strengthen it for the future. social security is not the big deficit driver and we're not going to balance the budget on the backs of social security recipients. >> right. >> as you know, that fund remains solvent till 2037. >> that's what we're saying here. medicare and medicaid are the great challenges in the out years. social security not as bad. but the demographics obviously don't add up for social security in the long run. we do have to address it at some point. >> that's right. let me just say a word, joe, and folks, about the health care reform bill that we passed. because it did make some changes in medicare.