Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of H.R. 397, the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act, commonly referred to as the Butch Lewis Act. Contrary to what you have heard, Mr. Speaker, this is a bipartisan bill. It has Republican sponsors. Peter King is about to speak next. At different intervals, there have been up to 20 Republicans who have signed on to this legislation. This addresses a real problem that, for 2 years, Congress has talked about and not moved on. For 2 years, we have worked on this. I sat on the special commission for 2 years. It became a debating society rather than an opportunity to act on a measured response to a crisis that is now pending that could be averted by the work that we undertake today. There are 200 bipartisan sponsors of this legislation in this House. Ten million Americans participate in multiemployer plans, and about 1.3 million of them are in plans that are quickly running out of money. And, yes, we have a plan. These are American workers who planned for their retirement. Now, after working for 30-plus years, they are facing financial uncertainty at a time when they are often unable to return to the workforce. It is worth noting that we have not arrived here because of malfeasance or corruption. These are forces of the marketplace that have caused this distortion. When I heard the gentleman from South Dakota say earlier that this is a bailout, this is not a bailout.…”