Dear AFSA Members:
These are perilous times for federal employees. Congress and the administration are locked in a fierce battle over the Fiscal Year 2012 budget and all parties seem to have concluded that federal benefits must be cut.
The Congressional Budget Office, the House Budget Committee, the Republican Study Committee and the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility have all recommended severe cuts in government services and federal benefits. And a slew of separate bills, some of which propose radical changes in federal benefits, abound.
AFSA is particularly concerned about proposals that would cut federal retirement and health insurance benefits, increase employee FEHBP and annuity contributions, further extend the federal pay freeze and change the Consumer Price Index calculation to reduce future cost-of-living increases.
AFSA has joined with other federal and postal unions in sending letters to members of the House, the Senate Budget Committee, Secretary of the Treasury Geithner and, most recently, congressional members of the now critical Blair House Group, expressing our concerns about the proposed cuts. (See www.afsa.org/retiree_services.aspx.) We continue to monitor the budget negotiations so we can keep you informed in our AFSA Newsletter at www.afsa.org/Portals/0/newsletter042011.pdf and in AFSAnets.
What can you do? Call your senators, representatives, and the White House by following the simple instructions below (AFSA reminds active duty Foreign Service employees that it is illegal to lobby congress using official time or government resources. If you write or call your congressional representative, do not use government time or resources (such as a government computer, letter head, telephone, etc). If you meet in person with a congressional representative, you must take annual leave or schedule the meeting on your lunch hour. In addition, make clear that you are writing or speaking in your individual capacity as a constituent and not as a representative of your agency. It is highly encouraged that you read up on the Hatch Act (rules governing political activity by federal employees) before acting, an addition to the regulations in the Anti-Lobbying Act.):
Step 1: Dial 1-866-220-0044 for the Capitol. Ask the operator to connect you to your senator’s office or representative’s office or supply your ZIP Code.
Step 2: Tell the staff person who answers the telephone where you live, so they know you are a constituent, then say:
“I am a [retired/active] federal employee who [tell the staff person a little about you and your work]. While not opposed to doing my share, I oppose any legislation that would unfairly impose a disproportionately high burden on federal employees and retirees to reduce the debt.”
Then, if you are a retiree say:
“Increased Federal Employees Health Benefit Program contributions would squeeze millions of middle-class federal retirees on fixed budgets, forcing them to choose between healthcare premiums and groceries and gas.”
Or, if you are an active federal employee, say:
“Increases in FEHBP and employee annuity contributions would be a further burden when federal employees are already in the middle of a two- year Federal pay freeze.”
Step 3: Since you have two senators and a house representative, call 1-866-220-0044 again to reach the Capitol to deliver the same message to your senators and your representative.
Step 4: Call the White House at 1-888-225-8418 .
We all understand the need for a realistic federal budget. However, the current proposals for cuts in federal benefits – although not yet in concrete form − go too far. Federal employees and retirees should not be singled out unfairly.
If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact AFSA at member@afsa.org .
Sincerely,
Susan R. Johnson
President
Click here for a more expansive update on the FY2012 budget.