Retirement Legislation

Good afternoon Chapter 141,

Please see the attached information from NTEU National:

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform exempted law enforcement officers, including CBPOs, from several retirement changes included in their recent budget reconciliation legislation.

As I reported to all Chapter Presidents last week, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform recently passed its budget reconciliation legislation, which proposes major cuts to federal employee pay and benefits. In response to reconciliation instructions requiring $50 billion in reductions, the committee has included several provisions affecting retirement contributions and annuity calculations.

However, as we have looked further at the legislation, we have confirmed that CBP Officers (CBPOs) should be exempt from several of the key provisions of this bill due to their existing enhanced retirement as federal law enforcement officers. Specifically:

FERS Contribution Increases: CBPOs are not subject to the proposed increase in FERS employee contributions.

High-5 Annuity Calculations: CBPOs are excluded from the shift to calculating retirement annuities based on the highest five years of salary.

FERS Supplement Elimination:

CBPOs who retire under mandatory retirement at age 57 will remain eligible to receive the FERS supplement.

Those who voluntarily retire before age 57—even if otherwise retirement-eligible—will not receive the supplement.

Current retirees receiving the supplement will continue to receive it without interruption.

We are seeking clarification on how this affects CBPOs grandfathered into enhanced retirement coverage who are not subject to the mandatory separation age.

Please note that this bill has only passed through committee and must still be compiled by the Budget Committee, merged with other reconciliation texts, and passed by both chambers of Congress. There will be opportunities for amendment and debate throughout the legislative process and I will continue to update you as the reconciliation process continues.

While these provisions may not all impact CBPOs, they still will impact many CBP personnel and most other federal employees and NTEU members. We must continue to stand together to fight back against these attacks. Click here to urge your members of Congress to oppose these retirement cuts for federal employees.