Reconciliation Bill Passes House by Single Vote: Some Federal and Postal Employee Cuts Remain

Just before 7 a.m. this morning, the House of Representatives passed by a single vote (215-214-1) H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill. The legislation was stripped of some of its most egregious anti-federal and postal employee provisions, yet it still includes several cuts to postal and federal employee benefits. NAPS is providing a link to the roll call vote.

Through the coordinated and aggressive grassroots efforts by the broad postal and federal community (including NAPS), the House bill dropped two provisions from the House Oversight and Accountability Committee-passed legislation. First, H.R. 1 would not change the CSRS and FERS retirement formula from the high-3 to the high-5, and the bill would not increase the FERS contribution for employees hired prior to 2014 to 4.4%.

However, the House-passed bill still would eliminate the FERS Annuity Supplement and would require new federal employees to choose between being hired as an “at-will” employee or paying an additional 5% toward FERS to maiantain merit-based civil service protections. (This provision may impact newly hired or promoted USPS EAS-level employees.) As passed, the bill would also impose an MSPB user fee on employees pursuing their due process rights. The fee would be refunded should the employee prevail.

The battle is not over. NAPS intends to seek the removal of the punitive postal and federal employee provisions included in the reconciliation bill and ensure that none are added as the fight moves to the Senate.