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Washington, D.C.—Federal employees and retirees are “understandably anxious” about the administration borrowing from their retirement funds to keep from defaulting on the nation’s debt, the leader of the largest independent union of federal workers told Treasury Secretary John Snow today.

In a letter to Secretary Snow, President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) sought “an update” on actions the secretary has taken so far “to avoid breaching the federal debt limit,” as well as his assessment of “the expected duration of the current crisis.”

The NTEU leader noted pointedly that this is the third time in three years that the economic policies of the administration and its inability to secure a timely increase in the national debt limit have led to borrowing from the federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

The TSP represents the savings of federal employees and retirees, and as she has in past criticisms of the administration on this issue, President Kelley said the money should not be used to cover the effects of bad economic policy.

By law, federal employees and retirees who have invested in the TSP G Fund are to be made whole after the conclusion of a federal debt crisis—a step that has been taken in the past. Nonetheless, Kelley said, “this does not make the current actions any less unsettling for those whose retirement savings are invested in the Thrift Savings Plan.” She added: “This is especially true since this is not the first time the current administration has resorted to this action.”

In addition to seeking information about the current debt limit crisis, President Kelley told the secretary “it would also be helpful to know any further actions your department might be expected to take should the debt limit not be increased in the coming weeks.”

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