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NARFE President Beaudoin’s Statement on the Budget Agreement

Statement from Joseph A. Beaudoin, president of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE): 

“This is not a deal federal employees are happy with, but it may be one they are forced to accept. While this agreement squeezes even more savings from a federal workforce that has already sacrificed over $113 billion towards U.S. budget savings in recent years, federal employees are relieved the agreement offsets portions of sequestration. With improved funding levels, we hope this deal avoids additional furloughs and workforce reductions. The furloughs federal employees were forced to undertake in 2013 caused unnecessary financial strain and anxiety, and a reprieve from this stress in the next two years is welcome.
 
“Unfortunately, this deal continues with the dangerous precedent set by Congress last year in taking from future federal employees to pay for bad policies and deficit reduction now. In two years, when this funding runs out, will future federal employees have to worry about paying more in the next budget deal? This drain on our nation’s federal workforce must end. The federal government may never be the employer with the greatest pay and benefits, but it certainly shouldn’t be the employer of last resort either, and that’s where we are headed.
 
“NARFE members have long called for a self-plus-one option in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and we are pleased to see this provision in the budget agreement.”