Federal Unions Push for 2027 Pay Raise as Budget Proposes Freeze
Federal employee unions are stepping up their calls for a pay raise for federal workers in 2027.
This comes after the initial budget proposal from the Trump administration called for no raise for federal civilian employees while requesting a five to seven percent raise for members of the military.
The proposal also made no mention of a pay raise for federal law enforcement personnel. Select federal law enforcement officers received a 3.8 percent raise in 2026—matching the military and exceeding the one percent increase for other civilian federal employees.
That means that without action from Congress or a later executive order from President Trump, most civilian federal employees are unlikely to receive a salary increase in 2027.
“It is unconscionable that the White House believes civil servants should not receive a pay increase this year or next year, amounting to a pay cut given the rising cost of living,” said National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) President Randy Irwin.
“All federal employees deserve a fair and competitive pay raise next year,” said the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) in a statement.
Even without a raise, the administration’s budget includes funding to hire additional law enforcement personnel, calling for a 15 percent boost in federal law enforcement personnel governmentwide. That includes a 13 percent increase in Department of Justice funding to hire thousands of personnel across the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and other components.
OMB Director Faces Congress
The debate over federal pay and hiring comes as Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought testified on the $2.1 trillion budget proposal in front of the House Budget Committee.
Director Vought vigorously defended the proposal, which would boost defense spending by 42 percent and cut non-defense spending by about ten percent.
“Under President [Donald] Trump’s bold leadership, every tool in the executive fiscal toolbox has been used to achieve real savings, and our administration will continue to do so,” Director Vought told lawmakers. “A historic paradigm shift in the budget process is occurring and is producing real results for the American public. Fiscal futility is over.”
The hearing is the first of many that Congress will hold in the coming weeks on the administration’s budget request.
