Trump announces 2020 raise in fed, locality pay -- FederalSoup.com

Shutterstock ID 792858589 by Andrey_Popov

Trump announces 2020 raise in fed, locality pay

By Sherkiya Wedgeworth
Sep 30, 2019

President Trump has announced that he will reverse the planned pay freeze for federal employees, and instead will implement a 2.6 percent governmentwide pay increase.

“I have determined that it is appropriate to exercise my authority to set alternative across-the-board and locality pay adjustments for 2019…,” Trump wrote in an Aug. 30 letter to the Speaker of the House, adding, “As noted in my Budget for Fiscal Year 2020, our pay system must reform to align with mission-critical recruitment and retention goals, and to reward employees whose performance provides value for the American people.”

The announcement is a complete turnaround from the 2020 budget released in March, which proposed an across-the-board pay freeze for civilian employees and a 3.1 percent increase for military personnel.

In the letter, Trump contends that current law dictates that a 2.6 percent across-the-board increase for the base General Schedule is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2020, in addition to a 24 percent average increase in locality pay.

“In light of our nation’s fiscal situation, federal employee pay must be performance-based, and aligned strategically toward recruiting, retaining, and rewarding high-performing federal employees and those with critical skill sets,” he added.

Read the full announcement here.

Reader comments

Fri, Sep 13, 2019 Brandon B Salem, VA

Happy to hear about this. TRUMP 2020

Wed, Sep 11, 2019

A 24% raise is like the reality check that the Clinton's did not inhale. The loss for income is on the shoulders of inept politicians from the president down to those idiots found in congress and senate. If at the end of the fiscal year spending sprees would be halted in its entirety, funds would be available for both current and retired federal employee colas. However none of the elected minions can fathom this since the funds hemorrhaged at the end of the year go to the special interest groups that got y them into office in the first place.

Mon, Sep 9, 2019

Retirees will certainly get the short end of the stick. If the supposed elected officials who support civil servants think a 2.6% raise in salary is good, they should wake up smell the roses and vote themselves a term limitation. The unions also talk a lot but they surely are there to collect their dues. I imagine they do not settle for a 2.6% increase in their salaries.

Wed, Sep 4, 2019

Trump is doing this because of election year coming up.

Wed, Sep 4, 2019

To the guy complaining about WEP and GPO; you clearly have no idea how these systems operate in relation to CSRS. CSRS beneficiaries paid none or barely any Social Security taxes during their careers and should now get Social Security benefits on top of their ridiculous pensions? Who are you kidding? I routinely see CSRS pensions that are 5 to 6 thousand dollars on average per month, substantially higher than anything payable under FERS. Most FERS employees will be lucky to scrape by on 3k per month if they work as a GS 11 most of their career including the SSA benefits they may receive, less if SSA payments are cut, not counting anything in the TSP. So get out of here with your WEP and GPO isn't fair nonsense.

Show All Comments