BLET is continuing to urge its members and their families to tell their legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives to fully fund the Railroad Retirement Board. As reported previously, budget cuts that would be catastrophic for the RRB are now under consideration by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. The subcommittee’s proposed funding bill for FY 25 would cut $26 million from the RRB’s administrative budget, an almost 21 percent cut from FY 24.
In a June 26 letter (PDF), RRB Labor Member John Bragg wrote, “The current House proposal puts the agency at high risk of mission failure.” The letter outlines some the negative consequences for railroad families if the budget cuts are allowed to happen:
• longer phone wait times, with peak season wait times of 2-2.5 hours and over hour-long wait times becoming the norm, as well as projected answer rates of only 30-35% of incoming calls;
• field-office closures in railroad communities, and field offices with minimal or no on-site staff, as well as reduced customer service hours;
• longer application processing times, with processing times of 18 months or more likely; and
• indefinite delays for annuity corrections.
Please use the Take Action area of the BLET website to contact Congress today, especially if you are represented by a Republican member of Congress, as they are the majority party in the U.S. House this session. Let them know you oppose any funding cuts to the Railroad Retirement Board, and that you support the agency’s requested budget of $172.331 million.
Please be sure to Take Action today!