Senator Murray Questions President Trump’s Decision to Replace Director in Charge of Protecting Retirees, Vows Careful Vetting of New Candidate

President Trump has nominated Gordon Hartogensis to lead the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation

If confirmed, Hartogensis would replace Director Reeder who was sworn in for a five-year term in 2015

News comes as the nation grapples with multiemployer pension crisis threatening many workers’ retirement resources

Senator Murray demanded a clear explanation for the change and promised to carefully vet the new candidate

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement in response to President Trump nominating Gordon Hartogensis for Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the agency which helps protect workers and retirees when pension plans are at risk of insolvency. If confirmed, Hartogensis would replace the current director, Tom Reeder, who is just over halfway through the five-year term that began in 2015 when he was sworn into office.

“It’s not clear why President Trump thinks it makes sense to replace the leader of the agency protecting our retirees and workers in the middle of the current crisis facing the multiemployer pension system—this sudden change demands a clear explanation. In the meantime, I want to thank Director Reeder for his leadership and his tireless efforts to help make sure our workers have resources available to support them in retirement. I will be carefully vetting the candidate to replace him to make sure he has the experience to address the complicated challenges facing our retirement system and is committed to fighting for our workers.”  

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