As a member of the federal community who served our country for over 30 years, I am deeply concerned that my hard-earned benefits and those of my fellow retirees, their spouses, and all federal employees still on the rolls will be cut to offset proposed tax policy changes. Our representative and senators should stand together and oppose such cuts to the federal community. We based our career and retirement planning on long-standing, promised benefit calculations. Any cuts to what we have earned breaks that promise and denigrates the value of public service.
Congress is currently debating reforms to our tax code. Paying for touted middle-class tax relief on the backs of middle-class federal employees and retirees is wrong. My retirement and health benefits were earned through years of hard work – they are not gifts to rescind. Sadly, federal employees and annuitants are often viewed by our legislators as a piggy bank, low-hanging fruit that’s ripe for the picking to fund unrelated activities. I’m contacting our congressman and senators to express my concerns about this, and I hope all members of the federal community will follow suit.
David Epstein,
President
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association