For me it is this:
Other than under Obama 2011-2013 federal employees have always gotten a yearly pay increase. The only question is how much.
The raises are given as a percentage. From 2014-2019 it was very low; 1% and 1.4% each year respectively. 2023 was the largest raise we have gotten sine the 1980s at 4.6%.
As of right now Congressional Democrats are proposing an 8.7% increase which is being backed by the AFGE(union for federal employees). Several Democrats in Senate have spoken out for the 8.7% increase as well. At present Biden has officially proposed a 5.2% increase.
So here is in short how the process plays out for anyone interested: Otherwise you can skip reading this part: between the lines:
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Congress will pass annual federal pay rate adjustments in an appropriations bill. When this occurs, it is usually done in the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill.
While this often happens, there is no legal requirement that a federal employee pay raise be addressed or considered by Congress. In many years, Congress does not pass legislation on the subject.
FEPCA (
Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act) also established an automatic formula to determine the annual pay raise for federal employees. The FEPCA formula has been ignored by every president since FEPCA was passed in 1990.
Instead of implementing the FEPCA formula, the president can, and often does, propose an alternative pay raise that ignores the FEPCA formula.
If the president determines that “because of national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare,” a pay adjustment would be inappropriate based on FEPCA, he can propose a different figure. This frequently happens. It happens regardless of the president’s political party.
Normally, an alternative pay plan is proposed late in the year.
What has happened most often in the last several years is that Congress does not pass legislation on the amount of any federal employee pay raise for the next year. When that happens, the president then sets the amount of the raise through an alternative pay plan, usually in late August.
Of course, if Congress does not like the amount of the raise in the alternative pay plan, it can still pass new legislation determining the final amount. This is most likely to happen during an election year.
When this process has run its course, typically in late December, the president will issue an Executive Order setting the amount of federal employee pay, by locality, for the next year.
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Now for those that didn't want to read all of that, in short the president has broad discretion over this matter. Whatever he outs in the executive order will determine the amount of the pay raise.
In other words if he says okay we'll do the 8.7% increase it will go through other than if Congress passes legislation to override him.
Generally speaking Republicans have been better on federal employees pay increase:
- Under Republicans: 4.05%
- Under Democrats: 3.65%
So if Biden passes the 8.7% he will get my vote. If he sticks to his guns and goes with only the 5.2% he will not!
