WASHINGTON, R.I. -- Rhode Island Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are among 29 U.S. Senate Democrats who have signed a letter serving notice that they will oppose Social Security benefit reductions as part of any deficit-cutting effort.
Whitehouse said at a news conference on the topic Thursday that he hopes the group will be a "blocking minority" if Social Security becomes part of this fall's post-election negotiations on how to avoid hundreds of billions of dollars worth of automatic, across-the-board cuts.
Social Security would not be part of those automatic cuts, which are due to take place Jan. 1 if Congress and the president do not negotiate an alternative. Whitehouse and his allies say Social Security has made no contribution to the deficit.