Error in House budget understated spending cuts by $900 million

The Fed Page

By Josh Hicks March 19 at 8:16 PM
@reporter_hicks

A correction to the House Republican budget released this week could mean far deeper cuts for federal employees than the original document suggested, further alarming government workers and their unions already upset about hits they have taken in recent years.

The initial version called for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to identify $100 million in savings over a decade from mandatory spending programs within its jurisdiction, which includes the federal-worker retirement and health plans. But the amount was supposed to be $1 billion — 10 times larger than first advertised.

A drafting error caused the mistake, according to the ­Republican-controlled House Budget Committee, which corrected the figure during a markup of the legislation Wednesday.

Federal-employee representatives, who had expressed concerns about the lower $100 million figure, renewed their criticism of the Republican budget proposal Thursday.