Senator Heitkamp Invites Fargo Resident to State of the Union Address

Heitkamp hopes Kooren's story will help pass legislation aimed at protecting pension plans

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former UPS employee Dennis Kooren of Fargo is in Washington, D.C. tonight to listen to the president.  Kooren is Senator Heidi Heitkamp’s guest for the State of the Union Address.

The senator is highlighting Kooren’s struggles to maintain his pension benefits in her push to pass new legislation.

If passed, it would protect people from further cuts to pension benefits and put pension plans back on solid financial footing.

“This is the forgotten person.  This is the person that feels like Washington never listens to them and never understands their challenges.  This is a way to say we do and this is how we’re going to fix it,” said Senator Heitkamp.

According to Senator Heitkamp, the Butch–Lewis Act would allow the Treasury Department to loan money to pension plans in order to protect retiree benefits.