As Congress is set to debate fiscal 2023 appropriations, AFGE is calling on the administration and lawmakers to lead by example and protect the federal workforce’s retirement to help promote middle class retirement security.
One of elected officials’ goals should be improving our country’s standard of living so its citizens can retire with dignity. But, for over a decade, Congress has been forcing draconian pay and benefit cuts on doctors and nurses who treat our veterans, federal law enforcement officials, civilian defense personnel, and many more federal employees.
Since 2011, a total of $246 billion has been taken from federal workers to reduce a deficit that federal employees – 1 in 3 of whom are veterans – didn’t cause.
This includes an unprecedented three-year pay freeze, a 2.3% increase in pension contributions by employees hired in 2013, and a 3.6% increase in pension contributions by employees hired after 2013. This was a permanent pay cut for federal workers, which would also hurt their retirement income.
No other group of middle-class Americans has contributed to deficit reduction the way federal employees have. Yet, for some politicians, it will never be enough. Some in Congress have gone beyond mere cuts, advocating to completely take away pensions from a new generation of federal workers.
AFGE will continue to oppose any additional efforts to undermine retirement security of working-class federal workers. We are also asking elected officials to repeal the retirement cuts affecting those hired after 2013.
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