The prospect of ending the pay freeze is looking a bit more likely.
Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Ben Cardin said in a recent statement that the legislation that ended the partial government shutdown includes a provision to allow President Obama to move forward with a 1% pay increase for federal employees in January.
The pay freeze was first announced in 2010 and pay has remained frozen for three years. Past attempts to end the pay freeze failed in Congress, the latest of which happened earlier this year.
The White House proposed a 1% pay increase as part of its 2014 budget proposal, and it reaffirmed that stance in August when the president transmitted a proposal for an alternate pay plan for an across the board pay increase of 1%.
“The promise of a modest pay raise and back pay for furloughed government employees are good first steps in recognizing the value of federal workers,” said Mikulski. “They have been the targets of unending attacks. They’ve been furloughed, laid off and locked out through no fault of their own.”
The agreement on reopening the government also includes back pay for federal employees who were furloughed during the shutdown.
