Political Quotes

“I will be very brief. I know Senator Brown feels very strongly about this, as well, so I am going to make a few remarks and leave time for him. I want to commend Senator Franken and Senator Klobuchar, who have talked to me about this issue many times. Today in the Finance Committee, with a significant bipartisan vote, we were able to pass the miners legislation to address the health care and retirement needs of those miners. As my two colleagues have pointed out, at its heart, this is the same emergency. Today it is the mine workers. Tomorrow it could be the truckers. The next day it could be the construction workers and the woodworkers in my part of the United States. As my colleagues have said, the reason that is the case is that for generations of Americans, getting a good-paying job came with a simple bargain: You worked hard, you earned a wage and benefits, and those benefits wouldn't be taken away. Today, bit by bit, that bargain is crumbling. There are two points that I would touch on so that Senator Brown can have some time, if his schedule permits. I think Senator Klobuchar has made a very good point about how important it is that Congress address this issue because, with respect to troubled systems like Central States, Congress is partially responsible for creating the problem. As Senator Klobuchar noted, 2 years ago Congress passed a bill--a bill that I was very much opposed to--the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act.…”