Westerman pushing federal pension cut
March 5, 2015
WASHINGTON — As a freshman member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman has gone largely unnoticed by the unions that represent federal employees, but that is about to change.
Westerman, R-Hot Springs, is introducing legislation that would cut back on pension benefits for retirees starting in 2017. A reform, he says, is needed to curb the out-of-control growth in federal spending that has led to record debt.
"This is just a way to find some savings in the budget in an effort to balance the budget over a 10-year period," Westerman said in an interview this week. "To me, it is one of the least intrusive things we could do."