On April 22, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Financial Services/General Government funding bill for Fiscal Year 2027, typically the legislation that includes a pay raise for feds. The bill stays silent on federal employee pay, effectively endorsing no pay raise. This followed the omission of a pay raise in President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request released on April 3. Trump’s request does include a 5-7 percent raise for the uniformed military.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the Ranking Member of the subcommittee, offered an amendment during consideration of the bill, which would have provided for a 3.1 percent pay raise and a 0.5 percent boost to locality pay for feds in 2027. FMA joined our colleagues in the Federal-Postal Coalition on a letter of support for the pay raise.

“For the overwhelming majority of time over the last 30 years, we have had parity between the military and the civilians,” Hoyer said during consideration. “I would hope that we could again get back to a place where we are treating people who are doing equal things equally.”

The committee rejected Hoyer’s amendment by a party-line vote, with 28 Democrats supporting and 32 Republicans in opposition.

Subcommittee Chairman David Joyce (R-OH) referenced President Trump’s ability to use an alternative pay plan, calling the committee’s rejection of a pay raise, “the reality of politics, and exactly why we have elections every four years.”

Additionally, the committee rejected a separate Hoyer amendment that sought to prevent agencies from implementing Schedule Policy / Career.

FMA will continue to advocate for both a fair pay raise and opposition to Schedule P/C – both FMA issue briefs in 2026.

“Federal pay has not kept pace with inflation, feds already earn nearly 25 percent less than their private sector counterparts, and a pay freeze will only force more of the best and brightest out of federal service,” wrote FMA National President Linda S. Lentjes. “FMA has endorsed, and will continue to push for, the 4.1 percent raise as included in the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act (H.R. 7480 / S. 3823) as proposed in Congress earlier this year.”