Both the House and Senate have passed what amount to first cuts on the fiscal 2006 federal budget (H.Con.Res. 95 and S.Con.Res. 18) that take no position on the January 2006 federal pay raise. That’s somewhat of a setback for the push to boost the raise from the proposed 2.3 percent to the 3.1 percent proposed for the military, but not necessarily a serious one since the actual raise is set later in the budget process, in appropriations bills; statements in past budget resolutions in favor of pay parity between the two groups mainly have acted as political cover for action on the appropriations measures. However, while silent on the raise, neither do the two versions of the budget “resolution”—which now goes to a conference—require any specific cuts in federal employee programs. While both order certain congressional committees to find savings in programs under their jurisdiction, the committees handling federal benefits, Government Reform in the House and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in the Senate, were excluded from those requirements.