1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose any legislative effort, including through budget reconciliation, that cuts federal retirement benefits or undermines merit system protections for federal employees. Recently, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee advanced a proposal to cut $51 billion from the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) over the next decade. These changes are being considered as part of a broader reconciliation package intended to offset up to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. While $51 billion may be a small fraction of the overall package, the impact on individual federal workers would be severe and far-reaching. The proposals under consideration would: • Increase FERS retirement contributions to 4.4% for all federal and postal employees. • Eliminate the FERS supplement for workers retiring before age 62. • Change annuity calculations from the highest three earning years to the highest five, reducing earned retirement income. • Force new federal hires to choose between being “at-will” employees with no due process rights or retaining merit protections at the cost of an additional 5% FERS contribution – effectively a pay cut. Additionally, this amounts to financial extortion, which is a crime. • Impose a $350 filing fee for employees seeking due process at the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). These proposals would slash take-home pay, penalize early retirement, disincentivize public service, and erode the nonpartisan, professional civil service system on which the public depends. Federal workers already sacrifice higher private-sector pay to serve their country. These proposals represent a betrayal of that public trust. They would deepen the crisis in federal recruitment, retention, and morale – especially at a time when our government needs skilled professionals more than ever. I urge you to reject these provisions and defend the integrity of the civil service. Do not allow federal workers to be used as the piggy bank for tax cuts for the rich.