House Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., is helping to lead the charge for a 3 percent Federal pay raise in Fiscal Year 2021 budget legislation.
In a July 10 letter to House appropriators, Rep. Connolly and a bipartisan group of nine other House members explained that the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes a three percent pay raise for the military workforce. In an effort to ensure pay parity for military and civilian Feds, the ten House members are calling for the same raise for all government employees – instead of the one percent Federal civilian raise proposed by the president.
Rep. Connolly and the other House members asserted that the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the critical value of Federal employees, and they should be compensated justly for their services. Of note, the FY2020 Appropriations Act included a 3.1 percent pay raise for civilian employees.
“This year, in particular, our Federal civilian workforce has served this nation at the time when services were most needed,” the letter states. “Congress must step up and ensure that the Federal workforce is treated with the respect it deserves.”
In January, Rep. Connolly and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, introduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act to give Federal employees a 3.5 percent pay raise in 2021. The legislation has yet to advance past the committee stage.
