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Washington, D.C.—The congressional continuing resolution (CR) to fund federal agencies through the end of the current fiscal year addresses two important concerns raised by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU)—the need to avoid furloughs in the Social Security Administration (SSA) and recognizing budget pressures at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“I believe that with proposed funding for SSA through fiscal 2007 of $9.1 billion, which is $43.6 million more than allocated by the Senate Appropriations Committee, it is possible to avoid any furloughs” at the agency, said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley, adding that NTEU will continue to work with SSA and congress to achieve this goal.

In a letter last October to both the Senate Appropriations Committee and its Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee, President Kelley said NTEU was “deeply concerned” that unless SSA was funded at a higher amount than allocated by the committee, the agency would be forced not only to furlough its employees for 10 days, but to make other harmful cutbacks in hiring, overtime and agency operations.

A month later, and prior to adjournment of the 109th Congress, more than half the members of the Senate called on their leaders to restore substantial proposed funding cuts for SSA.

Along with the additional funding for SSA, the CR contains $1.965 billion for the FDA for the balance of fiscal 2007. This increases the $1.941 billion approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The higher allocation, President Kelley said, “should at least not increase the budget pressures FDA has been facing.” She said that NTEU will work to secure increased funding for federal agencies for fiscal 2008.

The year-long CR for fiscal 2007, which ends on Sept. 30, was made necessary by the failure of the last Congress to complete its work on all but two of the appropriations bills that fund federal agencies. Now, the White House is scheduled to release its budget blueprint for fiscal 2008 in less than a week—on Feb. 5.

The CR was put together under the leadership of Rep. David Obey (D-Wisc.), new chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, in consultation with Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing some 150,000 employees in 30 agencies and departments.