As the most reliable and balanced news aggregation service on the internet, DML News offers the following information published by WASHINGTONEXAMINER.COM:
President Trump on Thursday blocked an automatic pay raise for 1.5 million federal workers covered by the General Schedule pay system, and asked Congress to pass legislation with no increase next year.
“Federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases,” Trump wrote in a Thursday letter to congressional leaders, a formality that blocks an automatic 2.1 percent raise from taking effect in January under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act.
“I have determined that for 2019, both across‑the‑board pay increases and locality pay increases will be set at zero,” Trump wrote.
The article goes on to state the following:
Now, the matter is returned to Congress, which must reconcile House-passed legislation that does not endorse a pay raise and a Senate-passed bill that outlines a 1.9 percent average boost in pay under the General Schedule.
About 1.5 million mostly white-collar federal workers are affected by Trump’s decision. Last year, Congress approved Trump’s request for a 1.4 percent across the board raise, after he blocked what would have been a slightly larger 1.9 percent automatic boost.
The Senate voted this month to give another base raise of 1.4 percent to workers, with additional raises based on locality, through which workers in more affluent areas would get bigger boosts to close pay gaps with the private sector.
Trump’s action was widely criticized by Democrats and labor unions, who described federal workers as unfairly scapegoated for spending deficits.
Federal workers were set to receive a 2.1% pay raise next year, but President Trump has frozen it. He cites the mounting federal deficit, which is expected to top $1 trillion next year after the GOP tax cut and increased spending on the military and domestic programs. pic.twitter.com/jzKen6t7OC
— scott horsley (@HorsleyScott) August 30, 2018
.@realDonaldTrump canceled the raise for federal workers. Exactly what a traitor would do. Anything and everything to hurt the United States of America. We have money for a wall, all his vacations, campaign travel and a military parade, but not to pay workers more? Hogwash.
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) August 30, 2018
Today @realDonaldTrump announced he’s blocking a pay raise that federal workers, including over 15,000 in WI, were set to receive in 2019. The hardworking men and women serving our country in the federal government deserve a president who values their contributions. https://t.co/smAF7K9HAs
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) August 30, 2018
I assume there’ll be a move to overturn this in Congress by adding the pay raise to the CR Congress has to pass before Sep. 30. Great issue for Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA-10) to take lead on. And in Senate, a tough vote for Ted Cruz (lots of civilian federal workers in TX). https://t.co/7wOgDURNCi
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) August 30, 2018
THANK YOU very much for canceling the 2.1 pay raise to the Federal Employees that was coming to them in January. You say it’s mostly civilian federal employees? What you FAIL to understand is that 47% of our 1700 workers at my facility are veterans. JUST INCREDIBLE..
— RHIANON ODONOVAN (@Caligurl9m) August 30, 2018
.@realDonaldTrump doesn’t think federal workers deserve their raise. Think about that. He canceled a scheduled pay raise. What a disgrace. #WorkersDeserveMore
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) August 30, 2018
Congress can and must stand up to the President and reject this assault on our federal workers by passing the 1.9 percent pay raise that the Senate approved on August 1.
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) August 30, 2018
According to @CNN , the president announced today he will cancel a planned pay raise for federal workers. Here’s what that means for our region: pic.twitter.com/KLm6gKCGjg
— Rep. Derek Kilmer (@RepDerekKilmer) August 30, 2018
How many millions did the deficit-busting Trump tax cut put into his own pockets? But it’s federal employees who are hurting our fiscal situation? 🤔 https://t.co/oyO34chF4Z
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) August 30, 2018
.@POTUS has told Congress he is canceling a pay raise that most civilian federal employees were due to receive in January, citing budgetary constraints. https://t.co/Ohvdl3HWnh
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) August 30, 2018
Trump blocks pay raise for 1.5 million federal workers, calls for no increase next year https://t.co/T0WDVx77Gt
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 30, 2018
Trump has told Congress that he is canceling a pay raise that most civilian federal employees were due to receive in January, and he’s citing budgetary constraints: https://t.co/0Ha88hIRpS
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) August 30, 2018
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