Editing Social Security Trust Fund (section)

==Structure==
The  "Social Security Trust Fund" comprises two separate funds that hold federal government debt obligations related to what are traditionally thought of as Social Security benefits.  The larger of these funds is the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund, which holds in trust special interest-bearing federal government securities bought with surplus OASI payroll tax revenues.<ref name="OASI">{{cite web | url = http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/describeoasi.html | title = Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund | publisher = Social Security Administration | date = November 9, 2007 | accessdate = 2008-03-28}}</ref>  The second, smaller fund is the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund, which holds in trust more of the special interest-bearing federal government securities, bought with surplus DI payroll tax revenues.<ref name="DI">{{cite web | url = http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/describedi.html | title = Disability Insurance Trust Fund | publisher = Social Security Administration | date = November 9, 2007 | accessdate = 2008-03-28}}</ref>

The trust funds are "off-budget" and treated separately in certain ways from other federal spending, and other trust funds of the federal government. From the U.S. Code:

<blockquote>EXCLUSION OF SOCIAL SECURITY FROM ALL BUDGETS
{{USPL|101|508}}, title XIII, Sec. 13301(a), Nov. 5, 1990, {{USStat|104|1388-623}}, provided that:
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the receipts and disbursements of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund shall not be counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of -
(1) the budget of the United States Government as submitted by the President,
(2) the congressional budget, or
(3) the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.</blockquote>

The trust funds run surpluses in that the amount paid in by current workers is more than the amount paid out to current beneficiaries. These surpluses are invested in special U.S. government securities, which are deposited into the trust funds. If the trust funds begin running deficits, meaning more in benefits are paid out than contributions paid in, the Social Security Administration is empowered to redeem the securities and use those funds to cover the deficit.