FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2025
April 30, 2025
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-374-6491
[email protected]
AFGE Urges Lawmakers to Reject Budget Cuts Targeting Federal Workers
Proposals will undermine the federal workforce’s ability to deliver services to all Americans, union says
WASHINGTON – The American Federation of Government Employees is urging lawmakers to reject five proposals included in the budget reconciliation bill proposed by House Republicans targeting federal employees’ retirement benefits and due process rights.
“If enacted, these proposals would weaken the merit-based, nonpartisan civil service system, hurt federal employees and their families, and undermine the federal workforce’s ability to deliver services to all Americans,” AFGE Acting Legislative Director Daniel Horowitz said in a letter to members of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
The House GOP is proposing to increase federal employee contributions to the Federal Employees Retirement System while slashing the retirement benefits they have earned – resulting in cuts to both their current take-home pay and their future retirement savings. Another proposal would eliminate a longstanding program that provides a financial bridge to employees who retire before they are able to begin collecting Social Security at age 62.
In addition, the budget bill would for the first time assess a financial fee on federal employees who file grievances of discrimination, political retaliation, and workplace abuse with the Merit Systems Protection Board – a levy intended discourage employees from pursuing such charges.
The proposals would do almost nothing to offset the $4.5 trillion package of tax cuts outlined in the budget reconciliation bill, Horowitz said.
“Indeed, perhaps paying for tax cuts is not the primary intent of the Committee’s proposals but rather to make the prospect of working for the federal government so unattractive as to drive from executive branch agencies experienced and dedicated employees who deliver services and benefits on which individuals, families, businesses, and communities in your districts depend,” he wrote.
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