Will Federal Employees Get a 1.9% Pay Raise in 2019?

A pay freeze was proposed for 2019. Could federal employees still see a raise next year?

Recent action in the Senate has opened the door to the possibility of a pay raise for federal employees next year.

Anybody reading the FedSmith website has undoubtedly read some of the articles we’ve posted noting that a pay freeze has been proposed for 2019. So why now is there talk of giving federal workers a pay increase?

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government advanced a nearly $24 billion spending bill today that includes a provision for giving federal employees a 1.9% pay raise next year.

Note that this is by no means a done deal. The White House’s proposal for a pay freeze is still in play.

Congress can override the proposal with legislation, however, and this move by the Senate Subcommittee today is the first step in that becoming a possibility. Any legislation enacting a pay raise for next year will most likely require action by Congress.

What has taken place in past years is that Congress has not taken any action and the president’s recommendation is adopted as the final pay raise amount. The fact that Congress has taken a first step potentially bodes well for federal workers and the process of determining a potential pay raise.

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.