The House Appropriations Committee is proposing DEEP cuts to the Railroad Retirement Board’s (RRB) budget for FY 2025. After years of flat funding, the agency has been struggling to keep up.

These cuts are being proposed even though the RRB’s budget is financed by OUR payroll taxes, paid by rail employees and employers, and is NOT funded by the U.S. Treasury’s general fund.

The proposed budget of a mere $100 million for the RRB, a $28 million cut from FY 2023, would be cataclysmic for the Board. For reference, a $2 million cut in FY2024 resulted in a hiring freeze and wholesale budget cuts to the already-strained agency. As a result, call wait times have ballooned, and disability claims currently take up to 18 months to process (vs. usual 2-3 months).

This is unacceptable. Railroaders and their families deserve better. We deserve a functional RRB!

"A budget cut of this proportion will directly harm the rail employees and annuitants who have paid into the system their entire careers. The agency has requested that Congress fund the agency at $172.331 million, because without a significant increase, the agency will not be able to provide the rail community with the customer services that it deserves. The current House proposal puts the agency at high risk of mission failure," says a statement from the Railroad Retirement Board.

A greater reduction to the RRB's budget would mean even longer call times and waits for railroaders to access benefits like railroad retirement, unemployment insurance, and process and resolve sickness and disability claims.

The House needs to approve the full funding of $172.331 million requested by the RRB.

Railroaders have already paid to fund their own board. Congress needs to do its job and provide the RRB’s budget request. Our appointed railroader board members know better what railroaders need, and Congress should listen to them.

Send a letter NOW to tell Congress to fund the RRB! It’s our money! Give it to us!