August 2, 2024

Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved four Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations bills that generally provide flat funding or slight increases to NTEU-represented agencies and remained silent on pay, deferring to the President’s proposal for an average 2.0 percent pay increase for federal employees in 2025.

The four bills approved by the committee include the Department of Defense; Energy and Water Development; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor/HHS); and Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) bills, the latter of which determines funding for the Treasury Department (including the IRS), SEC, FCC, and other NTEU-represented agencies and has jurisdiction over government-wide employee issues.  The bills now move to the full Senate for further consideration.

Unlike the House versions of these bills that would significantly cut funding for most agencies and passed mostly along party lines, these bipartisan bills fund agencies in accordance with the levels established in the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA). Of note, these bills would:

• Provide the IRS with $12.3 billion, equal to the amount provided for FY 2024 and $2.2 billion more than provided in the House FY 2025 FSGG bill.

• Provide the Bureau of Fiscal Service with $395 million for FY2025, an increase of nearly $4 million above the current level, preserving its central role in government-wide financial operations.

• Fund the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at $448 million for FY 2025, which is $57.8 million above FY 2024 funding levels. 

• Cut funding for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) by $40 million, providing it only $371 million for FY 2025.

• Provide a 3.3 percent increase in funding to the Department of Defense.

• Provide $122.8 billion for the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), including increased funding for SAMHSA.  Note FDA is funded in a different bill. 

• Provide increased resources for the Social Security Administration (SSA).

• Fund the Department of Energy at $17.7 billion in total funding for FY 2025, which is a $296 million increase above this year.

• Defer to the President’s 2 percent pay proposal for 2025 by remaining silent on pay.

• Continue the ban on funding new outsourcing activities under OMB Circular A-76.

• Require agencies to provide information on the use of telework.

Please be assured as Congress continues consideration of FY 2025 funding legislation, NTEU will continue to fight for a fair pay raise and adequate funding to properly staff federal agencies.  I will update you on further developments.