Budget Proposal Coming Up

President Obama’s last budget proposal is to be released next Tuesday (February 9), a document that likely once again will highlight differences with congressional Republicans over federal pay, benefits and workplace issues. That proposal kicks off the annual budget process, in what will be a notably short working year for Congress; in addition to the regular breaks in the schedule until mid-year, it plans to be in session only four weeks from mid-July until after the elections. On benefits, in recent years the White House budget plan has called for making domestic partners eligible under FEHB, allowing those plans to charge higher premiums for enrollees who don’t participate in wellness programs deemed appropriate for them, and centralizing purchasing of prescription drugs. Starting last year the administration also called for creation of six weeks of paid parental leave for federal employees. None of those proposals have advanced in Congress, whose Republican leadership has focused more on workforce management and accountability issues. Those include: proposals to restrict use of administrative leave for employees facing discipline and limit appeal rights in disciplinary cases; agency retaliation against whistleblowers; and payment of awards to employees, and rehiring former employees, found to have committed misconduct. Some maneuvering in advance of the budget already has started. For example, a group of employee organizations has urged the White House not to repeat a long-standing proposal to limit injury compensation benefits once recipients reach retirement age—an idea that has not advanced on its own but that has become part of several postal reform bills, including one that was the focus of a recent Senate hearing.