[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 159 (Wednesday, September 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H8891-H8892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THERE IS A CRISIS BREWING IN AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Ryan) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, there is a crisis brewing in America. 
Two-and-a-half million workers face the challenge of losing their 
pension through no fault of their own. These are the folks who get up 
every single day, they work hard, they play by the rules, and all they 
want is a fair shake, some decent healthcare, and the retirement that 
they earned and that they paid for.
  One of these people is Ed Barker, III, from Youngstown, Ohio. He 
worked for 45 years driving a truck. He worked 60 to 70 hours a week, 6 
to 7 days a week. He now faces a 50 percent cut in his pension. He 
missed baseball games, he missed birthdays, and he missed family events 
because he was driving a truck with the promise that at the end of his 
career there would be a solid pension.
  Now he and his wife are taking care of their 96-year-old father, they 
try to baby-sit for their kids when they get deployed and try to help 
out with the grandkids, and they try to help their kid through grad 
school to make a better life, all based on the promises they were 
given. But now they face the horrendous situation where they may lose 
half of their pension, cuts to healthcare, and all the rest that come 
with that. They did nothing wrong.
  Yes, this is going to cost money. But let me share with the American 
people, and remind some of my colleagues, that we had no problem in 
this Congress giving a $142 billion bailout to Bank of America, $280 
billion to Citigroup, $25 billion to the auto industry, $180 billion to 
AIG, $400 billion to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, $30 billion to Bear 
Stearns, $18 billion to the airline industry, and $300 billion to the 
savings and loans.

[[Page H8892]]

  Mr. Speaker, if we can bail out corporations that have done 
everything wrong, we can bail out the workers who have done everything 
right.

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