Kaptur, Nolan and Bustos Lead Charge to Protect Pensions from Back Room, Last Minute Budget Moves

Press Release

Today, U.S. Reps. Marcy Kaptur, Rick Nolan and Cheri Bustos were joined by 38 of their colleagues in urging House Leadership to reject any proposal attacking the hard-earned pension benefits of retirees and workers added as a rider to any end-of-year legislation.

Following the letter's release, Congresswoman Kaptur had the following to say, "Without an open, thorough discussion on Chairman Kline's composite pension proposal, we risk another round of serious cuts to worker and retirees earned pensions. This election highlighted how working-class Americans feel defenseless to Washington's backroom deal-making, which consistently leaves them shouldering the burden of bad policy decisions. America's workers deserve more from their elected representatives and it starts with the ability to hold Members accountable for votes. Pension reform must pass through the House in Regular Order, not as a rider to must pass legislation."

"Passing a proposal of this nature in the dead-of-night would be disastrous for working people across the Nation," Nolan said. "We cannot allow a repeat of the 2014 funding bill, when the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act (MPRA) was added to the "Cromnibus' at the last minute without an independent vote. And we owe it to the American people to follow the process of Regular Order, just as Speaker Ryan promised after being elected Speaker."

"The American people are tired of Washington back-room deals that stack the deck for special interests against working families," Bustos said. "We owe the people we serve a transparent process and the opportunity to review any proposal submitted before Congress. Rushing a serious proposal like this through the legislative process without a proper debate would be a disservice to the hard-working men and women that have earned these benefits throughout their career."

The lawmakers urged House Leadership to reject House Education and Workforce Chairman John Kline's draft composite pension proposal unless further legislative debate and analysis occurs. The proposal would allow healthy multiemployer plans with secure and adequate benefits to transition to two plans: a "legacy plan" that allows employers to make smaller yearly contributions than the original plan and a new "composite plan" that makes no binding promises to workers and retirees.

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