FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Matt Dorsey
(202) 550-6987
June 23, 2025
Washington, D.C. – In a major victory for federal workers and the integrity of government, the Senate parliamentarian has ruled several anti-civil service provisions in the “Big Beautiful Bill Act” out of order, blocking their inclusion in the budget reconciliation process.
The decision strikes provisions that would have severely undermined the merit-based civil service, including:
- Forcing new hires to accept reduced pay unless they agree to become “at-will” political employees under the Trump-era Schedule PC scheme;
- Imposing a $350 filing fee on employees appealing to the Merit Systems Protection Board;
- Charging unions for official time and access to agency resources for representational duties; and
- Allowing the president to unilaterally reorganize federal agencies without Congressional approval.
Thanks to coordinated advocacy by the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), the AFL-CIO, and the Federal Workers Alliance, the parliamentarian rejected several anti-worker provisions, while and two additional threats to retirement benefits were removed from the bill entirely before it reached the Senate. These included eliminating the FERS Supplement and switching to a less generous “high five” pension calculation.
Because these proposals were ruled as outside the scope of ‘reconciliation’ (a special procedure that allows a simple Senate majority to pass it), the out-of-order provisions cannot pass without being converted to standard legislation, which is then subject to the Senate filibuster and a 60-vote threshold. However, troubling measures remain, including a proposed 10% administrative surcharge on payroll deductions for union dues and charitable donations through the Combined Federal Campaign.
“These corruption-friendly provisions were a blatant attempt to politicize the civil service, weaken unions, and expand unchecked presidential power,” said NFFE-IAM National President Randy Erwin. “We fought hard to get them removed from reconciliation, and we’re grateful to the Members of Congress and staff who helped make our case. This isn’t over—but for now, those who seek to undermine democracy to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy have been dealt a significant setback.”