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Today, Congressman Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, led nine bipartisan Members of Congress in sending a letter to House Appropriators urging them to match the 2021 pay increase for civilian federal employees to the raise given to service men and women proposed in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. Currently, members of the military are set to receive a 3.0% pay increase, compared to the 1.0% increase for civilian federal workers detailed in President Trump’s budget proposal.

“Included in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a 3.0 percentage pay increase for our service men and women. As in previous years, we support the biggest pay increase possible for our military members,”  the members wrote. “We also want to note that with very few exceptions Congress has maintained pay parity with respect to pay raises for military and civilian federal employees. We write to ask that this pay parity continue – particularly in light of the continued work of our federal employees throughout a global pandemic.”

In January 2019, the House passed the bipartisan Federal Civilian Workforce Pay Raise Fairness Act. And in the bipartisan funding deal reached last December, Congress once again provided for pay parity between our federal civilian employees and service members. Connolly is also the original cosponsor of the FAIR Act, which would provide federal employees a 3.5% pay increase in 2021. 

Connolly was joined by Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), John Sarbanes (D-MD), David Trone (D-MD), Anthony Brown (D-MD), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Don Beyer (D-VA), Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).

Full text of the letter follows and is available here. 

July 10, 2020

Dear Chairwoman Lowey, Chairman Quigley, Ranking Member Granger, and Ranking Member Graves:

Included in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a 3.0 percentage pay increase for our service men and women. As in previous years, we support the biggest pay increase possible for our military members. We also want to note that with very few exceptions Congress has maintained pay parity with respect to pay raises for military and civilian federal employees. We write to ask that this pay parity continue – particularly in light of the continued work of our federal employees throughout a global pandemic.

We write to respectfully urge you to include a 3% pay increase for the civilian workforce to ensure continued pay parity between military and civilian employees. 

The federal civilian workforce is comprised of dedicated individuals who have demonstrated their critical value to this nation each day throughout this pandemic. During this global crisis, our federal government never shut down. Instead, its civilian workforce ramped up: delivering mail, providing healthcare to veterans, inspecting meat and poultry facilities, and researching cures for COVID-19. We should not take these dedicated employees for granted. 

Throughout this Administration, federal civilian employees have been vilified. Public sector unions have been attacked.  Just last year these civilian employees endured the longest government shutdown in this nation’s history.

In January 2019, the House passed the bipartisan Federal Civilian Workforce Pay Raise Fairness Act. And in the bipartisan funding deal reached last December, Congress once again provided for pay parity between our federal civilian employees and service members.

We feel strongly that federal employees have demonstrated they are invaluable to this nation and that they deserve parity with respect to pay increases provided by the federal government. The pay increase equates to less than one-tenth of one percent of the federal discretionary budget – spread across 12 appropriations bills. And Congress has historically maintained this pay parity. This year, in particular, our federal civilian workforce has served this nation at the time when services were most needed. Congress must step up and ensure that the federal workforce is treated with the respect it deserves.

Sincerely,