Under the agreement reached by Congress this week, the extension of federal unemployment benefits will costs billions, and at least some of that cost will be shouldered by federal employees. The deal, which has not yet been approved, would require federal employees to contribute more to their pension funds, a move that would cover about half the cost of the unemployment extension. Unions that represent the workers say that workers are being asked to pay for something they did not cause, and that it is unfair.
See "Federal workers take $15B hit in payroll tax deal", John Fritze, Baltimore Sun, February 15, 2012