Bill Pascrell: “I include the letters that I have in my hand in the Record. International Federation of Professional & Technical…”

“I include the letters that I have in my hand in the Record. International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, AFL-CIO & CLC, Washington, DC, July 15, 2019. Dear Representative: On behalf of 90,000 workers represented by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), we are writing to urge you to vote for the passage of H.R. 748, the Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act. This important bipartisan legislation repeals the 40 percent ``Cadillac Tax'' on high- cost employer-sponsored health care plans--set to take effect in 2022--that millions of working and retired Americans depend on. Since the 40 percent excise tax was enacted as part of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, out of pocket health care costs have continued to increase faster than wages. At the bargaining table, workers in all sectors of the economy are accepting lower or no pay increases, and cuts to other important benefits in exchange for an employer-provided health benefit that is both affordable and meets the health needs of their families. If this tax is not repealed, millions of workers and retirees will see the gains from these tradeoffs fall by the wayside, while the underlying issues driving health care costs will go unaddressed.…”