2016: Schweikert Voted For A Continuing Resolution Funding The Government Through April 28, 2017; Legislation Included Expedited Senate Consideration For A Waiver For President-Elect Trump To Appoint James Mattis The Defense Secretary, And A Four Month Extension Of Health Benefits For Retired Coal Miners. In December 2016, Schweikert voted for an FY 2017 continuing resolution funding the government through April 28, 2017. According to Congressional Quarterly, the legislation would have "provide[d] funding for federal government operations through April 28, 2017, at an annualized discretionary rate of $1.07 trillion. The measure also would [have] provide[d] $170 million in response to the lead-contaminated drinking water system in Flint, Mich., including $100 million in capitalization grants for EPA's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that the city could use to repair its drinking water infrastructure. It also would [have] provide[d] $872 million for medical research and anti-opioid addiction grants and would [have] transfer[ed] a net $45 million to support extending health benefits for retired coal miners for four months. It would [have] provide[d] $10.1 billion in additional Overseas Contingency Operations funds for the Defense Department and certain other security-related accounts. The measure also would [have] provide[d] for expedited Senate consideration of legislation that would exempt President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Defense secretary, retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, from a requirement for seven years to have passed before retired military officers can be the Pentagon chief." The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 326 to 96 and the Senate later did, sending the bill to President Obama, who signed it into law. [House Vote 620, 12/8/16; Congressional Quarterly, 12/9/16; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2028]
Legislation Included $45 Million To Fund A Four Month Extension Of Health Benefits For Retired Coal Miners; Some Lawmakers Called This Extension Inadequate By Merely Funding A Few Months. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The measure transfers a net $45 million to support a four-month extension of health benefits for retired coal miners' under the United Mine Workers Association 1993 Benefit Plan. Absent congressional action, miners and dependents covered under the plans would lose health care coverage on Dec. 31. Three multi-employer plans that provide health benefits for retired coal miners and their beneficiaries are underfunded. According to lawmakers, the plans had been well-managed, but the 2008 financial crisis and a shrinking coal mining workforce to support the plans put them on the path to insolvency. Some members of Congress from coal-mining states have criticized the amount provided by the CR as 'inadequate' and say that more certainty is needed than just the few months covered by the continuing resolution." [Congressional Quarterly, 12/7/16]
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-VW): We're Asking For A Permanent Fix. According to NPR, "Senate Democrats have been working for years to pass the Miners Protection Act --- a bill that would move money from the Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Fund into a fund to pay for the pension and health care benefits of tens of thousands of coal miners and retirees. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, is frustrated by the benefits Band-Aid. 'We're asking for a permanent fix, we have a plan to pay for a permanent fix --- it's the excess that we have, the surplus in the AML money,' he said Tuesday on the Senate floor." [NPR, 12/8/16]
2022: Schweikert Voted Against Restoring Retirement Benefits For Certain Pension Plans Sponsored By The Delphi Corporation To The Equal Amount The Recipients Were Entitled To By Law Before They Were Laid Off Due To General Motors' Bankruptcy In 2009. In July 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the Susan Muffley Act of 2022, which would "restore full monthly benefit payments for certain specified pension plans that were sponsored by the Delphi Corporation and terminated as a result of General Motors' bankruptcy in 2009. Specifically, it would require the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to recalculate and adjust monthly benefit payment amounts for participants and beneficiaries of such plans to be equal to the full amount they would be entitled to under existing pension guarantee law, notwithstanding phase-in and maximum benefit limitations in such law that previously limited the payment amounts. It would also require the PBGC, in consultation with the Treasury and Labor departments and within 180 days of enactment, to make lump-sum payments to eligible recipients to make up the difference between previous payment amounts and full benefits after recalculation. It would also require the PBGC to request information from the public on ways to ensure the long-term solvency of its insurance programs and, within two years of enactment, to submit to Congress recommendations on ensuring program solvency." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote 254-175, thus the bill was sent to the Senate. The Senate did not take substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 396, 7/27/22; Congressional Quarterly, 7/27/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 6929]
The Bill Would Restore Retirement Benefits To 20,000 Former Delphi Corporation Workers That Were Laid Off During The Great Recession After General Motors Filed For Bankruptcy. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The House is planning to consider bipartisan legislation proposed by Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., next week that would restore retirement benefits to 20,000 former employees of auto parts supplier Delphi Corp. that were cut during the Great Recession after parent company General Motors Corp.'s bankruptcy." [Congressional Quarterly, 7/21/22]
2009: The U.S. Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation Cut The Pension Benefits By 70% After General Motors Filed For Bankruptcy. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The bill (HR 6929) would restore pension benefits for the retirees who lost them when the U.S. Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation cut the benefits by as much as 70 percent after GM filed for bankruptcy in 2009, according to Kildee's office. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. could only pay a statutory maximum benefit after taking responsibility for the terminated benefits." [Congressional Quarterly, 7/21/22]
The Bill Would Ensure Retirees Receive A Lump Sum Payment That Would Cover The Difference Between The Money They Received And The Money They Would Have Received Without Restrictions, With An Additional 6% Interest. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Under the legislation, the retirees would receive a lump sum covering the difference between what they have received and what they would have received without the limitations, plus 6 percent interest. Moving forward, all beneficiaries will receive the full benefit they earned, Kildee's office said." [Congressional Quarterly, 7/21/22]
Over 5,000 Delphi Retirees Reside In Michigan And Ohio. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Michigan and Ohio both have over 5,000 Delphi retirees who are affected, and members of both parties sponsored the legislation, including Democratic Reps. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and Republican Reps. Michael R. Turner, R-Ohio, and Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, among others." [Congressional Quarterly, 7/21/22]
According To The Delphi Salaried Retirees Association, The Bill Would Provide The Average Retiree $390 A Month In Pension Benefits, And Several States Would Experience Economic Boosts. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The legislation would provide the average Delphi salaried retiree $390 a month in pension plan benefits, according to the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association. The economic boost in Michigan and Ohio would be over $1 billion each, with a boost of $955 million in Indiana, according to the association. Other states, including New York, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Wisconsin and Mississippi, would also see economic benefits, according to the organization." [Congressional Quarterly, 7/21/22]
Several Republicans Argued The Bill Was A "Taxpayer Bailout Of Privately Run Pension Plans," Including Congressman Michael C. Burgess (R), Who Argued That The Bill Established A "Terrible Precedent" By Permitting A Tax-Payer Increase For One Of The 5,000 Terminated Plans Run By The U.S. Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation. According to Congressional Quarterly, "However, 174 House Republicans opposed the bill while just 36 supported it. Rep. Michael C. Burgess, R-Texas, called the bill a 'taxpayer bailout of privately run pension plans,' during the Tuesday floor debate on the rule that paved the way for the bill's passage. 'The bill would create a terrible precedent in the single-employer pension system by allowing a taxpayer-funded increase for one of over 5,000 terminated single-employer PBGC-trusteed plans,' he said. 'It would create an expectation for Congress to do the same with current and future terminated plans.'" [Congressional Quarterly, 7/27/22]
2021: Schweikert Voted Against The American Rescue Plan Of 2021, Which Would Establish A Program To Grant Financial Aid To Multiemployer Pension Plans. In February 2021, Schweikert voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, "create a program to provide financial assistance to multiemployer pension plans." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 219-212, sent to the Senate and President, and the Senate version ultimately became law. [House Vote 49, 2/27/21; Congressional Quarterly, 2/27/21; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1319]
2015: Schweikert Voted Against Increasing Single-Employer Fixed Premiums Paid To The Pension Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). In October 2015, Schweikert voted against increasing single-employer fixed premiums paid to the PBGC. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Employers that operate their own pension plans currently pay two types of premiums to the PBGC: one fixed and one variable rate. The agreement increases single-employer fixed premiums paid to the PBGC from an estimated $64 per employee in 2016 to $69 per person for 2017, $74 for 2018 and $80 for 2019. For 2020 and future years, the premium would be indexed to inflation, as is currently the case. [...] CBO estimates that the premium increases would produce $4.1 billion in savings over 10 years." The measure was part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which also "would suspend the debt limit until March 15, 2017 and increase[d] the discretionary spending cap for fiscal 2016 by $50 billion and for fiscal 2017 by $30 billion, with the increases split equally between defense and non-defense spending" among other provisions." The vote was on a motion to concur in the Senate amendment with an amendment. The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 266 to 167. The Senate later passed the bill and the president later signed it into law. [House Vote 579, 10/30/15; Congressional Quarterly, 10/30/15; Congressional Quarterly, 10/27/15; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1314]
PBGC Protects Retirement Income For Defined Benefit Plans. According to the PBGC, "The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) protects the retirement incomes of more than 41 million American workers in nearly 24,000 private-sector defined benefit pension plans. A defined benefit plan provides a specified monthly benefit at retirement, often based on a combination of salary and years of service. PBGC was created by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to encourage the continuation and maintenance of private-sector defined benefit pension plans, provide timely and uninterrupted payment of pension benefits, and keep pension insurance premiums at a minimum." [PBGC.gov, Accessed 11/4/15]
Agreement Also Shifted Into The Ten Year Budget Window PBGC's Collection Fees. According to Congressional Quarterly, "In addition, the agreement shifts the premium due date from the 15th of October to the 15th of September for pension plan years beginning in 2025 --- which would effectively move the PBGC's collection of those funds into the 10-year budget window since the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. CBO counts this shift as $2.6 billion in savings." [Congressional Quarterly, 10/27/15]
Heritage Foundation: Pension Provisions Are A Budget Gimmick. According to the Heritage Foundation, "In short, the pension provisions create budget gimmicks that generate additional revenues through cross-cutting measures. The rise in premiums will improve PBGC's solvency, but the improved solvency is then used to increase other, non-related spending. Interest rate smoothing reduces the solvency of single employers' pensions in order to generate additional tax revenue to, once again, offset higher spending." [Heritage Foundation, 10/28/15]
2015: Schweikert Voted Against Pension Smoothing As Part Of The Bipartisan Budget Act Of 2015. In October 2015, Schweikert voted against pension smoothing. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Pension smoothing creates more tax revenue in the short term by not requiring employers to contribute as much to pensions, thus increasing taxable income, and by increasing the base from which they compute their premium payments to the PBGC. The agreement extends such policies for another three years. [...] CBO estimates that these provisions would reduce direct spending by $1.1 billion over 10 years (they likely also account for the vast majority of the $7.7 billion in revenue increases generated by the bill's pension provisions)." The measure was part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which also "would suspend the debt limit until March 15, 2017 and increase[d] the discretionary spending cap for fiscal 2016 by $50 billion and for fiscal 2017 by $30 billion, with the increases split equally between defense and non-defense spending" among other provisions." The vote was on a motion to concur in the Senate amendment with an amendment. The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 266 to 167. The Senate later passed the bill and the president later signed it into law. [House Vote 579, 10/30/15; Congressional Quarterly, 10/30/15; Congressional Quarterly, 10/27/15; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1314]
Measure Adjusts And Extends From 2018 To 2020 Certain Pension Rate Stabilization Rules. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The measure adjusts and extends for 2018 through 2020 certain pension interest rate stabilization rules that were included in the 2012 surface transportation law (MAP-21) and the 2014 transportation law extension. These rules require administrators of single-employer plans to adjust the 'segment rate' if the interest rate for determining plan contributions under the regular rules is outside a specified range of average rates." [Congressional Quarterly, 10/27/15]
Heritage Foundation: Pension Provisions Are A Budget Gimmick. According to the Heritage Foundation, "In short, the pension provisions create budget gimmicks that generate additional revenues through cross-cutting measures. The rise in premiums will improve PBGC's solvency, but the improved solvency is then used to increase other, non-related spending. Interest rate smoothing reduces the solvency of single employers' pensions in order to generate additional tax revenue to, once again, offset higher spending." [Heritage Foundation, 10/28/15]
2015: Schweikert Voted To Allow Federal Public Safety Employees To Begin To Receive Retirement Benefits At 50, The Same As State And Local Employees. In May 2015, Schweikert voted for legislation that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "allow[ed] federal public safety employees to begin receiving payments from government retirement plans at age 50, equal to the age limit for such state and local employees, and it would [have] expand[ed] the types of retirement plans from which public safety employees at all levels of government could receive such retirement payments." The vote was on a motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill. The House agreed to the motion, passing the bill, by a vote of 407 to 5. The bill later became law, but included provision on Trade Promotion Authority. [House Vote 220, 5/15/15; Congressional Quarterly, 5/12/15; Public Law, 114-26; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2146]