Washington, D.C. – Senator Johnson released the following statement regarding the conference report on H.R. 3630:

“I do not want to raise taxes on any American.  I also think it is bad policy to continue to reduce funding for Social Security - America's retirement plan.  We could accomplish both objectives with a truly temporary tax rebate that would not add to the $6 trillion cash deficit currently projected for Social Security between now and 2035.  Helping the middle class in this tough economy is a worthy goal, but we can do that without making it harder to save Social Security over the long term.

“In addition, this bill will add more than $100 billion to our nation's debt in 2012 alone.  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated that America is on a fiscal path that is "clearly unsustainable."  I agree.  We need to stop adding to the debt burden we are passing on to our children and grandchildren.”

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