May 22, 2025
 

This morning the House passed their budget reconciliation legislation.  While the legislation still includes some cuts to retirement benefits and employee rights, several harmful provisions were eliminated after intense lobbying from NTEU and other unions.
 
Previously, the bill included drastic cuts to employee pay and benefits.  Fortunately, our collective efforts paid off and the bill that passed the House no longer includes an increase in FERS premiums to 4.4% or the change from the current high-3 to a high-5 average for the annuity calculation.  In addition, the bill includes funding for an additional 5,000 CBP Officers which will help with the critical staffing shortage at the ports of entry.  However, several harmful provisions were included in the House-passed bill: 

• Eliminating the FERS Supplement on January 1, 2028, except for employees with Law Enforcement Officer retirement;
• Making new federal employees pay more for FERS in exchange for maintaining civil service rights; and
• Requiring employees to pay a fee for filing an appeal with the Merit Systems Protection Board. 

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration after the Memorial Day recess, where we will continue to fight together against the remaining harmful provisions.
 
Doreen P. Greenwald
National President