The BMWED applauds the introduction of the Railroad Retirement Board Stability Act, bipartisan legislation designed to strengthen the Railroad Retirement Board.

Introduced by U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the HELP Committee, Jim Banks (R-IN), Chairman of the HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, and Tim Kaine (D-VA), the legislation would provide the RRB with greater funding flexibility while maintaining fiscal safeguards to ensure predictable spending and the long-term solvency of the railroad retirement system. The bill also directs long-overdue investments in information technology modernization to address outdated processing systems that have contributed to an average 18-month wait for certain benefit claims, while preserving annual congressional oversight of the agency's administration.

“The funding for the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) that the Railroad Retirement Board Stability Act of 2026 provides would finally address long overdue and much needed fixes to problems that have irritated BMWED members and their dependents for well over a decade,” said Tony D. Cardwell, President, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes. “For far too long, the RRB has faced budgetary constraints that have resulted in frustrating delays on disability claims and longer-than-needed wait times on calls and services. BMWED has led the way in advocating for a permanent fix. This funding would alleviate those problems by increasing RRB staff hiring and modernizing its I.T. services. It represents an overall funding fix that has been 14 years in the making. Our Brotherhood strongly supports the passage of this legislation and we thank Chairman Cassidy and Ranking Member Sanders for their leadership and support on this critical issue.”

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