In this <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB106314879871384800-search,00.html?collection=wsjie/30day&vql_string=pension(article-body)”>article from the Wall Street Journal yesterday, it was reported that on Monday, an IBM lobbyist sent a document called the “Treasury’s statement of opposition” to various lawmakers’ staffs. The document, allegedly “on official Treasury letterhead,” noted “Treasury Strongly Opposes the Sanders Amendment” and advised lawmakers to oppose the amendment, which it said “will weaken the defined benefit system.” The Treasury department has denied that they issued the document. Today the Wall Street Journal is reporting: “Inspector General To Look at Reports On IBM Lobbyist.” The article states that the “Treasury Department asked its Office of Inspector General to look into reports that an International Business Machines Corp. lobbyist distributed a document that may have been doctored to show Treasury opposed controversial pension regulations.” More reports:
- Washington Post: “Treasury Disavows Pension ‘Talking Points’”
- Reuters: “Treasury watchdog to probe pension document issue.”
- Times Argus Online: “U.S. Treasury secretary will look into IBM pension lobbying.” Minneapolis Star Tribune: “Gutknecht criticizes IBM over document.”
An IBM spokesperson is saying, “we believed that we were redistributing a public document that we had understood was widely distributed by Treasury.”
You can read more about the Sanders amendment, approved by the House on Tuesday, which would bar the Treasury department from writing regulations that are contrary to the finding of a federal judge that cash-balance plans violate age-discrimination laws in this previous post.