< 25 Top Pension Power Players

Think presumptive Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin won’t have much time to deal with pensions? Think again. The Treasury secretary is one of three board members of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., so pensions fall squarely in his purview. Also, Mnuchin, 54, inherits two ticking pension time bombs. One is the Puerto Rico debt crisis; the other is what to do about the U.S.’s troubled multiemployer retirement funds. Puerto Rico secured itself a stay of execution via the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act, which Congress passed in June 2016. The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, formed as part of that legislation, has until February 15 to come up with a plan, but that date is fast approaching. Now Puerto Rico is Mnuchin’s problem, and fixing the commonwealth’s $49 billion pension burden must be a part of any realistic path to fiscal stability. As for U.S. trade unions, they’re not going to wait quietly for a resolution to their growing pension woes. . — Imogen Rose-Smith

 
The 2017 Pension Political Power 25

1. Andy Puzder Secretary of Labor 2. Bruce Rauner Governor of Illinois 3. Betsy DeVos Secretary of Education Finding, Applying for, and Winning Grant Funding: Tips for Nonprofits Sponsored by Fidelity Investments April 28, 2025 4. Laura & John Arnold Founders, Laura and John Arnold Foundation 5. Steven Mnuchin Secretary of the Treasury

6. Wilbur Ross Secretary of Commerce 7. Tani Cantil-Sakauye California Chief Justice 8. Paul Ryan Speaker of the House 9. Anthony Scaramucci Founder, SkyBridge Capital 10. Kevin de León California State Senator and President Pro Tempore

11. Mike Enzi Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security 12. Steve Sweeney President, New Jersey State Senate 13. Jerry Brown Governor of California 14. Corey Lewandowski Co-founder, Avenue Strategies 15. Paul Singer President, Elliott Management Corp.

16. Randel Johnson Senior Vice President, Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits, U.S. Chamber of Commerce 17. Joe Manchin U.S. Senator 18. Kenneth Feinberg Founder and managingpartner, Feinberg Rozen 19. Scott Walker Governor of Wisconsin 20. Richard Trumka President, AFL-CIO

21. Mike Rawlings Mayor of Dallas 22. Elizabeth Warren U.S. Senator 23. Kent Mason Partner, Davis & Harman 24. Bernie Sanders U.S. Senator 25. Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers