Congresswoman Tenney Leads House Republicans in Calling for Immediate Passage of Bipartisan Susan Muffley Act

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) today sent a letter to  House leadership, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, requesting the House and Senate include the Susan Muffley Act in any end of year legislation. Tenney co-led the letter with Congressman Mike Turner (OH). It was also signed by Rep. Bryan Steil (WI), Rep. Bill Johnson (OH), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), and Rep. Victoria Spartz (IN).

In 2009, more than 20,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees lost the full value of their retirement benefits in the aftermath of the General Motors bailout. Following the bankruptcy filing, the company surrendered its pension obligations to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation as part of its 2009 bankruptcy agreement. The Obama Administration then worked behind closed doors with union leaders to slash the pensions promised to the 20,000 non-unionized salaried staff. 

The Susan Muffley Act works to correct the egregious wrongs and injustices imposed upon the Delphi Salaried Retirees under the Obama Administration and must be considered in any potential year-end legislation. 

In part, the lawmakers wrote, “With only one month left in the 117th Congress, passing the Susan Muffley Act must be a high priority. After 13 years of working to fix this injustice, Delphi Salaried Retirees should not have to start over again next Congress. It is imperative that the Senate finally pass the Susan Muffley Act and that President Biden signs the bill into law. Alternatively, the provisions of the Susan Muffley Act could be included in a year-end package. Congress must not remain silent in the face of the thousands of retirees devastated by this injustice.”

A signed copy of the letter can be found here, and a complete text is below.

As the House and Senate begin to consider must pass year-end legislation, we urge you to include the Susan Muffley Act as part of these legislative packages.

 As you may know, while facing bankruptcy during the 2009 Great Recession, the Delphi Corporation was acquired by General Motors. As part of the General Motors bailout and restructuring, the Delphi employee pensions were turned over to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). While General Motors supplemented the pensions of unionized hourly employees, over 20,000 Delphi Salaried Retirees saw their benefits unfairly slashed between 30 and 70 percent.

 In July, the House passed the Susan Muffley Act (H.R. 6929) with a strong bipartisan majority. This legislation would remedy this injustice by restoring Delphi Salaried Retiree pension payments to their full value and providing the Delphi Salaried Retirees with backpay for their missed benefits, with interest. We strongly urge the passage of this critical legislation, either as a standalone bill or as part of any end of year must pass legislation to ensure it becomes law before the end of the 117th Congress. 

With only one month left in the 117th Congress, passing the Susan Muffley Act must be a high priority. After 13 years of working to fix this injustice, Delphi Salaried Retirees should not have to start over again next Congress. It is imperative that the Senate finally pass the Susan Muffley Act and that President Biden signs the bill into law. Alternatively, the provisions of the Susan Muffley Act could be included in a year-end package. Congress must not remain silent in the face of the thousands of retirees devastated by this injustice. 

We appreciate your attention to this time-sensitive matter and look forward to working with you to restore the Delphi Salaried Retirees’ full benefits.

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