[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4989]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TAXPAYERS AGAIN FOOTING THE BILL

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I just finished a hearing as chairman of 
the Oversight and Investigations Committee, and we had the 
administration up to talk about some of the programs that they're 
handing out money on; and one of them is giving out money to large 
corporations and to unions for early retirement of the employees of 
for-profit corporations.
  So think about this. The United States Government is giving millions 
of dollars. In fact, they gave United Auto Workers $260 million towards 
their plan for early retirement for their workers.
  Now, when you think about it, these are corporations and unions and 
entities around this country who've actually settled in with a contract 
with their employees. Yet the government is stepping in and giving them 
money to help them so they can get to 2014. And they're running out of 
money. Obviously, they will run out of money if they give free money to 
these corporations. They're going to accept it. And in the end, 
taxpayers are going to foot the bill.
  In light of the fact we're losing $4 billion a day, why should 
taxpayers be giving out almost $5 billion to corporations that are very 
profitable to help their employees retire?

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