Closely following party lines, on February 15, the House of Representatives voted in favor of H.R. 273, by 261 to 154. H.R. 273 calls for an extension of the federal pay freeze through December 2013. This bill negates an Executive Order issued by President Barack Obama, E.O. 13633, which provides a pay raise of 0.5 percent to federal workers after March 27, 2013. Additionally, the bill freezes Members of Congress’ pay as well, making this bill politically motivated. If Representatives voted in favor of the bill, it would be seen as a means to curb their salary and the national deficit; if they voted against it, it would be seen as a vote for their own pay raise.

On January 17, the Federal Managers Association (FMA) National President Patricia Niehaus wrote to Representatives, urging them to vote against this bill. In her letter, she stated, “Extending the federal pay freeze will negatively affect agencies’ recruitment and retention of much needed talent, making it more difficult to provide crucial assistance to a growing number of Americans. H.R. 273 puts further strain on federal employees who are struggling to do more with less.”

Additionally, the Federal-Postal Coalition, of which FMA is a member, shared concern with lawmakers on the damaging effects of H.R. 273. In its February 11 letter, the coalition commented, “Make no mistake; this vote is about how Members of Congress reward hardworking middle-class public servants who take care of our veterans, who guard our borders, who maintain our military’s hardware, who take criminals off our streets and keep them behind bars and who provide the intelligence needed to thwart terrorism. After a two-plus year pay freeze, they have earned, at least, the modest 0.5 percent pay increase proposed by the President.”

It is doubtful the Senate will take up H.R. 273. To read the full letters from FMA and the Federal-Postal Coalition, please visit the Members Only Section of the FMA website: www.fedmanagers.org. For more information on H.R. 273, please visit: http://thomas.loc.gov.