John Kline

Part of the way we need to approach these solutions is to adopt reforms that address the structural flaws within the plans.

We owe it to them to set aside our political differences and come to the table to find a bipartisan solution that secures their future.

I cannot State emphatically enough that far-reaching reform, fiscal responsibility, and bipartisanship must be the principles that guide us as we work to solve this problem.

If Congress does not reform the architecture of the multiemployer pension system, then it won't matter how much money we throw at this problem.

Republicans and Democrats have a history of bipartisan cooperation on this issue.

There is nothing fair or excusable about a 75-year-old retiree with health care concerns finding out that the pension he was promised just isn't funded.

Workers and retirees must have peace of mind when it comes to their hard-earned retirement benefits.

During the eight long years our team spent working to pass this bill, no topic was more hotly debated than that of annual testing. . . In the end, we arrived at a fair and sensible compromise in the law: Keep the requirement that the same…

No one voted for me in less than 35 days, and I would afford employees the same opportunity to be able to make an informed decision with regard to choosing their union representation.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank the witnesses for being with us today. Excellent testimony, as we're trying to solve the problem that some of us have been dealing with for a long time.

Composite plans are not intended to replace defined benefit plans, but are intended to be an alternative to the 401(k) defined contribution plan.

Chairman Kline's plan, composite plan will provide lifetime retirement income based on pool longevity, similar to defined benefit plans.

The last thing taxpayers need is to foot the bill for a multi-billion dollar bailout.

Clinging fearlessly to my job and title for a few more weeks, I thank the chairman.

There are some of us who feel like that is in fact what is happening here with this administration.

Nothing excuses the fact that what it is proposing is simply unlawful.

At the end of the day, it will be America's poorest neighborhoods that are impacted the most, and that is the last thing we intended as Congress when it passed the Every Student Succeeds Act.

As Chairman Kline himself explained when the regulation was proposed, it threatens to impose a multibillion regulatory tax on schools across the country.

The administration is not allowed to rewrite law.

This regulatory scheme is an attempt to accomplish something Congress specifically chose not to do.

I could not agree with your words more at that point and I appreciate hearing that perspective.

The law explicitly prohibits the secretary from interfering, yet that is precisely what your proposal would do.

You can trust that we will abide by the letter of the law as we move forward.

[The Every Student Succeeds Act] is clear: Education decision-making now rests with states and districts, and the federal role is to support and inform those decisions.