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Congress·In Committee

New Bill Would Require All U.S. Employers to Provide Federal-Level Pension Benefits to Workers

Pensions for All Act

23 days ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Key Points

  • This bill would require every employer in the country to provide their workers with a retirement plan. The benefits must be at least as good as the ones federal government employees receive. If a company doesn't want to run its own plan, they must enroll their workers in the actual Federal Employees Retirement System.
  • People who work for themselves, like freelancers and contractors, would also be required to have a retirement plan. They would have the choice to join the federal retirement system or use a private plan that offers the same level of high-quality benefits.
  • To make this affordable for smaller operations, the government would help cover the costs. Businesses making less than $25 million a year and self-employed people earning less than $75,000 would receive significant discounts on their required contributions and special tax credits to help pay for the program.
  • Workers would gain access to the Thrift Savings Plan, which is a professional investment account similar to a 401(k) currently used by government workers. This allows employees to save their own money for the future while their employers also add money to the account.
  • The law would strictly forbid companies from cutting a worker's current pay to make up for the cost of providing these new retirement benefits. Employers who fail to provide a plan could be fined $10 per day for every worker they employ until they fix the problem.
Labor EmploymentTaxesEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 12, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Feb 12, 2026

Introduced in House

Related News

4 articles
Commonweal Magazine·about 2 months ago

The 401(k) Is Tearing Society Apart

The article examines the failure of the 401(k) system and highlights the Pensions for All Act as a potential solution. The bill would require corporations to offer traditional pensions equivalent to those received by members of Congress, shifting the risk from individuals back to employers.

CL~
Politico Pro·8 months ago

Sanders plans bill to boost private-sector retirement plans

Senator Bernie Sanders is introducing the Pensions for All Act, which would require companies to offer retirement plans on par with the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). If companies refuse, they must contribute to the federal system to ensure workers receive equivalent benefits.

CL=
Government Executive·7 months ago

Bill would give all workers federal-level retirement benefits

The Pensions for All Act (S. 2335) would extend FERS-level pensions to the private sector. Employers would be mandated to offer a program with benefits equivalent to the federal system or allow employees to participate directly in FERS, aiming to reverse the decline of traditional pensions.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Pensions for All Act

Bill NumberHR 7556
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(9)
D: 9

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.