The Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations funding proposal for the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) remains a serious concern. The Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved a funding level of $129 million, which is higher than the House's proposal of $100 million but still well below the RRB’s requested $172.331 million. 

Despite this modest increase, the RRB remains critically underfunded, affecting its ability to provide timely and effective service to railroad workers and retirees. Importantly, cuts to the RRB budget do not save the government or taxpayers money, as the RRB’s administrative funding comes from payroll taxes paid by rail employees and rail employers — not from the U.S. Treasury’s General Fund. 

Why It Matters: 

The RRB’s chronic underfunding has led to severe service delays, which directly impact the railroad workers and retirees who rely on the agency. If funding remains inadequate: 

• The average wait time for occupational disability claim adjudication will remain at 450 days — meaning retirees and beneficiaries will wait well over a year for their claims to be processed. 

• Hold times are already up to 4 hours, leaving members struggling to get assistance. 

Moreover, with the current executive orders and government overreach, the RRB can only hire one employee for every four who leave, making it impossible to keep up with demand and worsening service backlogs. 

Railroad workers and retirees have paid into these benefits through their hard-earned wages. Without full funding, the services they rely on will continue to deteriorate. 

What You Can Do: 

We urge every member to contact their elected officials and demand full funding for the RRB. Here are key points to emphasize: 

• The RRB’s administrative budget is funded by railroad workers and employers — not by taxpayers or the federal government. Cutting its budget does not reduce the national deficit. 

• The Senate’s proposal of $129 million is still far below the RRB’s requested $172.331 million, which is necessary to maintain proper service levels. 

• The average wait times of 450 days for occupational disability claims and 4-hour hold times for phone calls are unacceptable and will only worsen if the agency remains underfunded. 

• Congress must approve the full $172.331 million requested by the RRB to ensure timely benefits processing and customer service for railroad workers and retirees. 

Take Action: 

Thank you to everyone who has already called, emailed, or met with your Congress Members. Your voices make a difference! 

We urge all BRS members to keep up the momentum to ensure our message is heard loud and clear. We must educate our Congressional members on the RRB and ensure they understand the damage that will be done if they vote in favor of these unnecessary cuts. 

The importance of the RRB cannot be overstressed — our elected officials need to understand the serious damage that will result if they vote in favor of these unnecessary cuts. 

Use the links below to find your congress members' contact information and access a sample letter template you can fill in the blanks and send to your elected officials. 

Find Your Congress Member 
Template Letter