House Budget Plan Moving

The House is voting this week on approving a budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year, with the Republican majority-sponsored proposal once again supporting raising retirement contributions by all federal employees so that the government and employee shares are equal. That would mean a 6 percentage point increase by CSRS employees and 5.55 percent of salary more for most FERS employees. The plan also calls for reducing the federal workforce by 10 percent by filling only one of three upcoming vacancies, with an exception for national security jobs, ending the FERS special retirement supplement for future retirees, and ending the student loan reimbursement program — all repeats of past positions. Also up for voting is a Democratic-sponsored alternative that contains no such provisions. Neither takes a position on a 2015 federal pay raise, which could pave the way for a repeat of last year’s sequence in which Congress allowed the White House’s proposed 1 percent increase to take effect by default.