Take Action: Proposed Federal Budget Cuts Will Harm Nebraskans and State Employees

On June 29, the US Senate passed a procedural motion to pave the way for the largest cuts in Medicaid history. The US Senate is currently debating this bill. Medicaid and other federal funding cuts will directly harm Nebraska state employees and our neighbors who we serve.

Approximately 30% of the Nebraska state budget comes from federal dollars. Many NAPE members’ jobs are funded directly or indirectly by federal funds. Any cuts to Medicaid, and the federal budget as a whole, will cause our state legislature to reevaluate the state budget using just state funds. This will make 2026 contract negotiations challenging.

More immediately, cuts in the federal budget may cause the elimination of state jobs directly funded by the federal government. This could lead to layoffs in the state government workforce, which will exacerbate already short staffing, and cause a reduction in services to our fellow Nebraskans. While union members have a negotiated layoff procedure in our contract, if funding is cut, jobs will be eliminated.

Now is the time to take action. Here are four ways you can join the fight to protect state services and state jobs:

1. Call your member of congress in Washington, DC at 202-559-1165 or their local office and express your concerns about the federal budget:
   1. US Senator Deb Fischer – 402-441-4600
   2. US Senator Pete Ricketts – 402-476-1400
   3. US Representative Mike Flood – 402-435-1598
   4. US Representative Don Bacon – 402-938-0300
   5. US Representative Adrian Smith – 308-633-6333
2. Join your union if you aren’t already a NAPE/AFSCME member. The more workers who join our union, the more power we have to negotiate strong contracts and stop harmful budget cuts.
3. Call or email your Nebraska State Senator and remind them about the important work you do as a state employee in service to your fellow Nebraskans.

Contribute to PEOPLE. AFSCME PEOPLE is a political action committee (PAC) that is funded by voluntary contributions from union members. It’s how our union can pool small contributions to elect politicians who advocate for issues that are important to working families.