Social Security reform? Never mind

A leading Republican says that Bush's plan is going nowhere, and there's no reason to force vulnerable GOP incumbents to support it.

Sep 15, 2005 | Remember Social Security reform? Forget it -- at least for now.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas still has fantasies of moving George W. Bush's privatization plan through Congress this year, but Tom Reynolds, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, has taken a brief journey into the reality-based world. According to Roll Call, Thomas told Republicans in a closed-door meeting today that it's time to give up on Social Security reform for the year.

"Reynolds told Thomas that he would recommend to the leaders that we not proceed with Social Security this year because it did not appear there was any chance it would be passed into law by the Senate, and wed be forcing our vulnerables to walk to the plank for nothing," a source familiar with Reynolds' comments told Roll Call.

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