Senate Appropriation Bills Include Boosts in Agencies’ Funding

The Senate Appropriations Committee last week released its fiscal year 2023 spending bills with several important provisions for federal employees but the Senate has taken no action to move the bills. With members of Congress spending time working in their home states and districts for the August congressional recess and only two months before the beginning of the new fiscal year, it is all but certain that lawmakers will need to pass a continuing resolution in September to avoid a lapse in appropriations.

The Senate bills would provide funding increases for most NTEU-represented agencies and continue the ban on funding new outsourcing activities under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76. Another NTEU-supported provision would prevent any future president from unilaterally implementing a new Schedule F classification, similar to an attempt by the previous administration. 

Like its House counterpart that passed last month, the Senate legislation remains silent on federal pay, deferring to the president’s proposed average 4.6 percent pay increase for next year.

As negotiations continue, NTEU will keep strongly advocating for the FAIR Act, which would provide an average 5.1 percent pay increase, and adequate agency funding.