110 Lawmakers Push to Give All Federal Employees Same 3.8% Raise as Law Enforcement
A group of 110 lawmakers is calling on congressional leaders to provide an across-the -board pay raise for federal civilian employees in 2027. This after the Trump administration proposed a pay freeze for federal civilian employees, with a 3.8 percent raise for select law enforcement personnel.
The group called for congressional leaders to reject President Trump’s proposal, saying a pay freeze would fail keep up with rising costs and will harm workforce recruitment and retention.
In their letter, the lawmakers pointed to the administration’s rationale for increasing law enforcement pay, arguing that the same recruitment and retention concerns apply across the federal workforce.
“If competitive compensation is necessary to recruit and retain qualified federal law enforcement officers, it is also necessary to recruit and retain qualified employees throughout the federal government,” stated the letter.
The letter called for the rest of the civilian federal workforce to receive the same 3.8 percent increase as law enforcement personnel and suggested that Congress should pass the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act (FAIR Act), which calls for a 4.1 percent increase in 2027.
The group is made up of 98 House members and 12 senators. The letter was signed by one Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.
In a news conference, the group suggested that including the FAIR Act in the upcoming spending negotiations may be the best way to get it across the finish line.
“We’re going to fight for as much as we can get as soon as we can get it,” said Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA). “But federal workers should know that this is going to be a fight, and there’s not a guaranteed outcome.”
Administration Cites “Fiscal Responsibility”
In the alternative pay plan issued in August, President Trump said the pay freeze is necessary to “maintain fiscal responsibility without harming the government’s ability to recruit and retain well qualified employees.”
The administration separately proposed increasing compensation for federal law enforcement personnel by 3.8 percent in 2027 to support recruitment and retention in what the president described as “critical law enforcement roles.”
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was tasked with determining which roles are eligible for the increase.
