Federal Government Policy and Business

Q&A for federal workers: 1.9 percent pay raise looking likely

The Washington Post: Question: Does President Trump’s order for a 1.9 percent federal pay raise in January mean we’re getting it for sure?

Answer: It’s not an “order” but a raise of that amount now seems virtually certain.

Under the complex federal pay law, if Congress does not set a General Schedule raise by the end of a year, one takes effect automatically in January. Congress so far has not actively considered a raise, extending a policy of action by inaction it has followed for years.

Trump on Thursday specified that if that silence again continues, the default raise will be 1.9 percent (preventing a default raise exceeding 26 percent). There remains an outside chance that Congress will put a higher or lower figure in a spending bill, and if that is signed into law, that number will prevail.

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