Democratic Lawmakers Propose Pay Increase for Federal Workers

If a proposed bill this year becomes law, federal workers could get a break from Congress after suffering through years of wage freezes.

Democrats in Congress are rallying around a bill proposed by Virginia lawmaker Gerry Connolly that would give federal workers a 3.8 percent pay increase in fiscal year 2016.

This proposal is music to the ears of the federal workforce. Recently, you endured three consecutive years of pay freezes. This year, Congress and the White House decided you should only get a one percent pay increase.

Some members of Congress are finally recognizing that federal workers — those who actually run the government and protect our nation’s security and people — have been absorbing a lot of financial pain for their dedication to public service.

Democratic lawmakers have thrown their support behind Mr. Connolly’s proposal, including Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) and Donald Beyer (D-Va.). Mr. Connolly’s proposal is called the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act (FAIR Act).

Lawmakers acknowledged that federal workers have endured a lot of economic pain — and worries about job security — during repeated (or threatened) government shutdowns and repeated rounds of sequestration.

“[Federal workers] have contributed $138 billion toward deficit reduction as their pay was frozen for three years and as they endured furloughs caused by sequestration and a government shutdown,” U.S. Rep. Hoyer said in a statement, according to Fierce Government.

Also, they noted that this year’s one-percent wage increase trails behind the rate of inflation, as well as the rise in private sector wages.

However we at MyFedBenefits realize that talk is cheap in Washington. We hope that the bill becomes law. But with the White House and Congress at loggerheads and a prevailing environment of austerity in Washington, the chance of the proposal becoming law is slim.

But you never know. We’ve seen crazier things happen in Washington. Stay tuned.