Senators Seek Improved Security of Multiemployer Pension System

May 11, 2017

Hon. Steven Mnuchin
Secretary of Treasury
15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20230

Hon. Alexander Acosta
Secretary of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20210

Hon. Wilbur Ross
Secretary of Commerce
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20230

Dear Secretaries Mnuchin, Acosta, and Ross:

We write today to seek information regarding your plans to improve the security of our multiemployer pension system for American workers and retirees.

As you may know, millions of American workers and retirees — through no fault of their own — are at risk of losing a substantial portion of their pensions because their plans are at imminent risk of becoming insolvent and being unable to pay earned benefits on time and in full. Some multiemployer pension plans across the country, including Central States with its more than 400,000 participants, are in dire financial situations. Even worse, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), the federal agency that insures the retirement incomes of the millions of American workers who participate in multiemployer pension plans, projects that its insurance program for these types of plans could itself become insolvent as early as 2025. Absent action by the Trump Administration and Congress, the financial stability of the PBGC will be compromised and the retirement benefits American workers and retirees were promised will face deep — and in some cases catastrophic — cuts.

The Secretaries of the Treasury, Commerce, and Labor serve on the Board of Directors for PBGC, which requires strong and stable leadership to ensure that it can meet its future financial challenges. Through your role on this Board, you have the important responsibility of addressing the security of our pension system and developing a long-term strategy to fund and stabilize the PBGC. As the head of your agency, you also control resources that can be devoted to ensuring that workers receive the benefits they have earned through their lifetime of hard work, and are in a position to put forth proposals to ensure that these benefits are protected.

Cuts in promised retirement income that leave retirees unable to afford to pay for their homes, let alone pay for their prescriptions or put food on their tables, are not the answer. Accordingly, we write to request clarity regarding the Administration's plans to address critical issues in the pension system:

1. Does the Administration intend to release a plan to protect American workers and retirees and improve the security of our multiemployer pension system? If so, what is the timeline for the release of this plan?

Thank you for your prompt attention to these important issues for American workers and retirees.

Sincerely,

Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator

Claire McCaskill
United States Senator

Amy Klobuchar
United States Senator

Sherrod Brown
United States Senator

Tammy Baldwin
United States Senator

Heidi Heitkamp
United States Senator

Joe Donnelly
United States Senator

Robert P. Casey Jr.
United States Senator

Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator

Cary C. Peters
United States Senator

Ron Wyden
United States Senator

Al Franken
United States Senator

Tammy Duckworth
United States Senator

Patty Murray
United States Senator

Robert P. Casey Jr.
United States Senator

Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator

Cary C. Peters
United States Senator

Ron Wyden
United States Senator

Al Franken
United States Senator

Tammy Duckworth
United States Senator

Patty Murray
United States Senator