Political Quotes

“I rise to join my colleagues in our fight to keep a promise made to workers and retirees across this country. I will start with where we were, where we are now, and what Washington needs to do to keep these promises. A little over 2 years ago, Central States pension had an application before the Treasury Department, which had it been approved would have meant deep cuts to pensions that had already been earned over a lifetime of hard work. Retirees in my home State of Wisconsin began to receive letters notifying them that their pensions could be cut by 30, 50, and, in some cases, as much as 70 percent. Treasury made the right decision and rejected these pension cuts. That was an important victory, but we have always known there is more work to be done, that we have to find a long-term solution that keeps these promises. I am talking about a promise made to Bernie in Franklin, WI, who would have lost about one-third of his pension if the Central States application had actually gone through. I am talking about a promise made to Kenny from Menomonee Falls, WI, who spent most of his career in trucking, paying into a pension fund to safeguard his family's future. He got a letter notifying him that his pension might be cut by 55 percent. I am talking about promises made to 25,000 retirees and workers in the State of Wisconsin.…”