Congress has an immediate opportunity to pass legislation enabling both companies to keep pension plans for workers in place.
The nation is already reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the Senate should focus its immediate attention on helping the victims of that tragedy. The death of Chief Justice Rehnquist presents an additional reason to adjust the schedule.
I hope the president and his administration will act swiftly to provide the Congress with damage assessments so that we can provide immediate relief to the people of the Gulf Coast. We must not waste any time in giving these families the resources they need.