The Senate voted late Saturday to open debate on Republicans’ budget reconciliation package, which aims to cut federal spending in order to partially pay for extended tax cuts for the wealthy and increased immigration enforcement, though the measure’s burden on federal employees is now lighter.
That’s because, according to bill text released by the Senate Budget Committee Saturday, the legislation no longer targets federal workers’ retirement benefits, civil service protections or their labor unions.
When the House passed its version of the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” in May, it included a barrage of policies that made federal employees contribute more of their paychecks toward their Federal Employees Retirement System pension, while reducing the ultimate value of those benefits.
