House Dems to federal HR: Where's that pay raise?

Nine capital-area Democrats want answers from the Trump administration on when a 1.9 percent pay raise for civilian feds, approved in the recent appropriations package and retroactive to the start of the year, will start showing up in paychecks.

In a March 5 letter, led by Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the members called on President Donald Trump to issue an executive order authorizing the pay raise and for the Office of Personnel Management to publish pay tables to calculate the value of the raise across general schedule levels and localities.

"Given the continued impact of the recent shutdown," the lawmakers wrote, "any delay in implementing the 1.9 percent pay raise enacted into law is unacceptable. It is also imperative that retroactive lump sum payments be calculated in accordance with this pay increase."

The members want to hear back from Russell Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget and Margaret Weichert, acting OPM director, by March 15.