Among the package’s provisions, the bill would raise FERS (Federal Employees Retirement System) employee contribution requirements, up to a higher, new rate of 4.4% of an employee’s salary.
But a particular objection for Turner is a provision that would alter the calculation for an employee’s pension payout from three years of that employee’s highest annual salary to five years.
The idea there would be to effectively cut federal pension benefit spending by basing a retiree’s annuity payment on their average highest five earning years.
“The goal of reconciliation should be to reduce overall government spending by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse and reducing needless and unnecessary spending,” Turner said in his new statement Tuesday.
“I oppose any and all efforts to reduce federal spending by taking money from the hard-earned pensions of federal workers,” the Dayton Republican added. “These pensions are not giveaways — they are promises to federal workers in exchange for their dedicated service."
Turner, a member of the Oversight Committee, added that he will not vote for the current draft proposal.
“I am hopeful that the House Oversight Committee will reconsider this proposal,” the congressman said.
An organization called “Americans for Limited Government” praised the committee’s work Tuesday.
“Since 1987, federal employees have been able to opt for early retirement via the federal employee retirement system, allowing them to collect an additional annuity for up to five years prior to qualifying for Social Security at the age of 62,” Robert Romano, the organization’s executive director, said. “Additionally, there is no reason federal employees hired before 2014 should pay less into the retirement plan than the 4.4% newer employees must pay.”
The Oversight Committee has not passed the measure. There may be a committee vote Wednesday. If passed at that level, the measure would go to the House Budget committee for possible inclusion in a final reconciliation package.
About 83,500 workers in Ohio were employed by the federal government at the end of 2024, about 1.5% of the state’s nonfarm payrolls, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Credit: Brendan O'Hara
Credit: Brendan O'Hara
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base alone has 38,000 civilian and military employees, making it the largest center of employment in one location in the state of Ohio.
About one in 20 workers in the Dayton region were employed by the federal government at the end of last year (5% of the total workforce), or about 20,000 civilians, federal survey data show.
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