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 11, 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

Wed, Nov 13, 2019 Sam USA

Too little and too late. The fed now has well over 200,000 open positions they cannot fill because federal wages are far to low to attract Qualified workers with the skills required. The constant criticism and the demeaning remarks directed towards federal workers by Trump and other Republican politicians and their cohorts has also served to make many skilled and Qualified people not want to work for Uncle Sam.

Tue, Nov 12, 2019

The President continues to cite how great the economy is doing and how wage growth has taken hold. That must apply to everyone but a federal worker. After having my taxes increase substantially with a tax cut and the impending FEHB increases, a larger raise is needed.

Tue, Nov 12, 2019

Amazing that people still complain and say you're not getting paid as much as the private sector. Fact is, the majority of federal employees already make more than the private sector, and if you were working in the private sector, you'd probably be fired, but you just sit back and complain about your pay and most are not worth you're hourly wage. Be thankful you have a job and stop complaining! Stop making EVERYTHING about politics! #TRUTH!