Trump Signs Order Formalizing 1% Pay Raise for Federal Civilians In 2021

President Trump on Thursday issued an executive order making official his recommendation for a 1% pay raise for civilian federal employees in 2021. 

Locality pay for civilians will remain at 2020 levels. Trump had proposed the 1% raise as part of his fiscal 2021 budget, but his administration more recently had expressed support for a pay freeze proposed by Senate Republicans. 

“In the context of budgetary constraints and recent, pandemic-related impacts on non-federal labor markets, the administration supports the policy in the bill to maintain for 2021 the current level of federal civilian pay,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought wrote in a Nov. 30 letter to the head of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Lawmakers ended up remaining silent on the 2021 raise in the omnibus spending package they approved before Christmas, however, leaving Trump’s 1% proposal intact. Federal civilians received an average 3.1% pay increase for 2020. 

Members of the military are slated to receive a 3% pay raise for 2021.