(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Congressman Gerry Connolly (VA-11), and more than 100 House Democrats sent a letter to Speaker Ryan and Minority Leader Pelosi opposing President Trump’s proposal to gut pensions and pay for federal workers.

Raskin and Connolly cite several specific changes proposed by Trump in his FY 2018 budget request as the basis for their concerns: reducing federal employees’ pay by forcing them to contribute more to their retirement; reducing cost of living adjustments (COLA) for Civil Service Retirement System beneficiaries; eliminating COLAs for current and future federal retirees in the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS); and other changes to retirement benefits. Estimates suggest that this would take away $149 billion from middle class federal workers and retirees.

“Every day, federal workers serve the American people by protecting us from foreign and domestic threats, disease, and dangerous work conditions,” the Representatives wrote. “They connect the public to the old age and disability benefits they are eligible for, and care of our wounded warriors.  They make sure that people receive fair and impartial justice, facilitate safe air travel, and help keep our air and water clean.”

“After dedicating their careers to public service, federal employees and retirees deserve much better from us. Therefore, we will oppose any effort to balance the budget on the backs of public servants, and we urge you to stop legislation from being brought to the House floor that would undermine and demoralize our federal workforce.”

Full text of the letter is available here.