Press Democrat - Thompson, Woolsey: Protect Social Security, Medicare'

The debt crisis must be resolved without gutting Medicare or Social Security, North Coast Reps. Mike Thompson and Lynn Woolsey said Tuesday.

Thompson, D-St. Helena, said he is “not afraid to cut spending where it's deserved” and noted that he has voted to cut spending by more than $100 billion this year. But he said in a written statement that he is “not willing to vote to balance the budget on the backs of seniors, the poor or the middle class.”

The congressman said that Bruce Bartlett, a deputy assistant Treasury secretary in the Reagan administration, testified at a Ways and Means Committee hearing Tuesday that failing to raise the debt ceiling would cause a chain of events much worse than the 2008 financial crisis.

“Most Americans agree that we must address our nation's debt crisis and put our fiscal house in order â€" and soon,” Thompson said. "What we need is a balanced approach with shared sacrifice by all Americans.”

Woolsey, D-Petaluma, said in a written statement that it is “time for the Republican majority to grow up and support a long-term debt ceiling increase that protects Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.”

The public wants Congress “to get to work creating jobs, and they're appalled that the nation has been brought to the brink of default.”

Instead of demanding “more sacrifice from working families,” the government should should generate revenue by eliminating tax breaks for millionaires and bring U.S. troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The latter conflict costs $10 billion a month, she said.