Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) issued the following statement regarding the appropriations package:
“Democrats negotiated a spending agreement that includes many critical investments to better Americans’ lives. In particular, I’m glad to see that the package extends Medicaid for Puerto Rico; supports life-saving medical research at the NIH; devotes funds to gun violence research; and includes the SECURE Act, which strengthens Americans’ retirement security and fixes the provision in the Republican tax law that penalized children of our fallen soldiers and first responders.
“But there is an egregious omission from this deal: the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act, commonly referred to as the Butch Lewis Act. This bipartisan legislation addresses the worsening crisis that threatens the retirement savings of more than a million workers and retirees who – year after year – gave up wage increases in order to fund their pension plans. Now, after working for decades as ironworkers, truck drivers, or autoworkers, their planned retirements are in jeopardy. After forgoing pay raises to save for their futures, these Americans face financial uncertainty at a time when they are often unable to return to the workforce.
“We cannot delay – I urge in the strongest terms the addition of the Butch Lewis Act to the spending package. We must prevent the impending catastrophic pension plan collapse that will do irreversible harm to families and communities across the country that are already struggling.”
