The appropriations bill that contains a 1.9% pay raise for federal workers in 2019 has advanced past the Senate Committee on Appropriations to go before the full Senate.
On Thursday, June 21, the Committee unanimously advanced the bill.
“This is a responsible bill that boosts our national economy, financial security, and government accountability, and I urge the Senate to pass it without delay,” said U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.), chairman of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee. “I’m pleased that we are moving forward on the appropriations process. Orderly and transparent appropriations is a core responsibility of Congress, and a place where significant government reforms can be implemented.”
Even though the president has proposed a pay freeze for federal employees next year, Congress can still override the proposal with legislation. This is the first step in that process, but it still has to clear the full Senate and House and get signed into law. This is a departure from recent years in which Congress took no action on a raise and what the White House proposed was adopted as the final raise.
We will continue to keep our readers up to date on the latest progress of next year’s pay raise as any additional information becomes available.
