On April 26, a group of 62 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Congressional appropriators calling for a 5.1 percent pay raise in 2023 for all federal employees. The letter supports the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act (H.R. 6398), sponsored by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), which would increase basic pay by 4.1 percent and an average boost to locality pay by 1.0 percent in 2023. FMA has endorsed the legislation, as well as companion legislation (S. 3518) introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI).

“Over the past decade, federal employee pay increases failed to keep pace with rising labor and living costs. Additionally, federal workers weathered multiple pay freezes, hiring freezes and lost pay as the result of sequestration-related furloughs including two of the longest government shutdowns in U.S. history,” the letter stated. To read the full letter, please click here.

H.R. 6398 was referred to the House Oversight and Reform Committee and currently has 32 cosponsors. For more information about the bill, please click here.