California

Hundreds bid farewell to U.S. representative

Hundreds of people gathered Saturday to mourn U.S. Rep. Robert T. Matsui, recalling how he rose from immigrant roots to serve in Congress for 26 years.

Matsui died Jan. 1 of pneumonia brought on by a rare form of bone marrow disease diagnosed several months ago.

“We will miss his leadership. We will miss his guidance. We will miss his advocacy. And we will miss his friendship,” said Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo.

Washington, D.C.

Social Security isn’t in crisis, Democrat says

There is no looming crisis in Social Security, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said Saturday.

“The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says Social Security can pay full benefits for nearly 50 years,” Rangel said in the Democratic weekly radio address.

Rangel is the senior Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee.

President Bush wants to revamp the program by letting younger workers divert some of their payroll taxes from the retirement system to personal investment accounts.