just come public with the size of their unfunded liabilities in their pension plans. this is not an attack on the unions, and it's not an attack on public employees. t just trying to state the obvious. >> reporter: the federal government has not dope a good job -- done a good job of managing social security, for example, and they don't want uncle sam getting more involved with state and local pension plans. >> representative nunez and others want to begin regulating state and local government pensions. you know, my response is, good grief. we don't need help like that. the answer to these problems is in 50 state capitals and the cities that sponsor these pension plans. >> reporter: congressman nunez counters that the federal government needs to get involved because so many localities are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and eventually may come to washington for a bailout. >> all right. molly henneberg, thank you very much. rick: well, we think of our brave men and be women in