Fed employee pay freeze becomes law
A new law funds the government through March and freezes civilian federal employees' pay for the next two fiscal years.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was corrected to reflect that President Barack Obama signed the continuing resolution Dec. 22 and Congress approved the last-minute spending bill Dec. 21.
It's official: Federal employees will see a two-year salary freeze.
President Barack Obama signed a continuing resolution Dec. 22 to fund the government through March and freeze civilian federal employee pay for the next two years.
Both chambers of Congress approved the last-minute spending bill (H.R. 3082) Dec. 21.
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The resolution provides funding at a rate of approximately $1.16 billion over the fiscal 2010 level, according to a summary prepared by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Labor groups have opposed the pay freeze, suggesting it unfairly targets federal workers and could affect retention.
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen Kelley said the freeze “rings particularly hollow in light of the recent tax compromise between the administration and congressional Republicans that will give hundreds of billions of dollars to America’s wealthiest families.”
NTEU said it was also concerned that the resolution keeps most federal agency spending at current levels.