Do we have a "national emergency or serious economic conditions .."that Trump invokes to

[riversedge]

FREEZE Federal scheduled pay increases?? Almost every day trump tells the world how great his
economy is doing!! How can this stand?????




Trump nixes federal pay raise
By Niv Elis - 08/30/18 01:17 PM EDT

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/404398-trump-nixes-federal-pay-raise

..........Last year, the Trump administration approved a 1.4 percent increase in federal pay and a 2.4 percent increase in military pay.

In the letter, Trump said he had the authority to propose an alternative pay schedule based on Title V of the U.S. Code, which allows the president to alter scheduled pay changed he deems it inappropriate in light of "national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare."

Trump's 2019 budget proposal sought to freeze federal pay, but the Senate Appropriations Committee included a 1.9 percent pay bump in its spending plans for 2019. The House version of the bill did not include such an increase, and sought reductions to spending on federal pension plans.

The two chambers are scheduled to meet in the coming weeks to work out differences in their bills, which could effectively override Trump's move to cut pay. Trump has not indicated if he would veto such a measure if it included a pay increase.


.............LOOK AT THIS TWEET HE SENT TODAY!!

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Zorro]

1. He's just prepping us for the upcoming national emergency he'll manufacture

He also hates government employees -- Deep State, you know.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Rob the working class to pay the rich. Trump-RepubliCon eCONomics. Remind voters. Keep brands glued.

[Doodley]

3. For most people who don't make a "fortune"from the stock market, inflation is higher than wage

Increases. In other words, most people are worse off. He talks through his ass.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. Trump not invoking "emergency" in this case. Simply using "budget" as the club to beat workers. . nt

[riversedge]

5. no, but he is using that law cited in OP.

[k8conant]

7. He is MISusing that law:

§5303. Annual adjustments to pay schedules
(a) Effective as of the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1 of each calendar year, the rates of basic pay for each statutory pay system shall be increased by the percentage (rounded to the nearest one-tenth of 1 percent) equal to one-half of 1 percentage point less than the percentage by which the ECI for the base quarter of the year before the preceding calendar year exceeds the ECI for the base quarter of the second year before the preceding calendar year (if at all).
(b)(1) If, because of national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare, the President should consider the pay adjustment which would otherwise be required by subsection (a) in any year to be inappropriate, the President shall-
(A) prepare and transmit to Congress before September 1 of the preceding calendar year a plan for such alternative pay adjustments as he considers appropriate, together with the reasons therefor; and
(B) adjust the rates of pay of each statutory pay system, in accordance with such plan, effective on the same day as the increase under subsection (a) would otherwise take effect.

(2) In evaluating an economic condition affecting the general welfare under this subsection, the President shall consider pertinent economic measures including, but not limited to, the Indexes of Leading Economic Indicators, the Gross National Product, the unemployment rate, the budget deficit, the Consumer Price Index, the Producer Price Index, the Employment Cost Index, and the Implicit Price Deflator for Personal Consumption Expenditures.
(3) The President shall include in the report to Congress under paragraph (1)(A) his assessment of the impact that the alternative pay adjustments under this subsection will have on the Government's ability to recruit and retain well-qualified employees.
(c) The rates of basic pay that take effect under this section-
(1) shall modify, supersede, or render inapplicable, as the case may be, to the extent inconsistent therewith, any prior rates of basic pay under the statutory pay system involved (as last adjusted under this section or prior provisions of law); and
(2) shall be printed in the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations.

(d) An increase in rates of basic pay that takes effect under this section is not an equivalent increase in pay within the meaning of section 5335.
(e) This section does not impair any authority pursuant to which rates of basic pay may be fixed by administrative action.
(f) Pay may not be paid, by reason of any provision of this section (disregarding any comparability payment payable), at a rate in excess of the rate of basic pay payable for level V of the Executive Schedule.
(g) Any rate of pay under this section shall be initially adjusted, effective on the effective date of the rate of pay, under conversion rules prescribed by the President or by such agency or agencies as the President may designate.

Here is the text of his abominable letter to Ryan and McConnell: [Note the bold area indicating the reasons therefor)

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President: )

I am transmitting an alternative plan for pay adjustments for civilian Federal employees covered by the General Schedule and certain other pay systems in January 2019.

Title 5, United States Code, authorizes me to implement alternative plans for pay adjustments for civilian Federal employees covered by the General Schedule and certain other pay systems if, because of “national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare,” I view the increases that would otherwise take effect as inappropriate.

Under current law, locality pay increases averaging 25.70 percent, costing $25 billion, would go into effect in January 2019, in addition to a 2.1 percent across-the-board increase for the base General Schedule. We must maintain efforts to put our Nation on a fiscally sustainable course, and Federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases. Accordingly, I have determined that it is appropriate to exercise my authority to set alternative across-the-board and locality pay adjustments for 2019 pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 5303(b) and 5304a.

Specifically, I have determined that for 2019, both across‑the‑board pay increases and locality pay increases will be set at zero. These alternative pay plan decisions will not materially affect our ability to attract and retain a well‑qualified Federal workforce.

As noted in my Budget for Fiscal Year 2019, the cost of employing the Federal workforce is significant. In light of our Nation’s fiscal situation, Federal employee pay must be performance-based, and aligned strategically toward recruiting, retaining, and rewarding high-performing Federal employees and those with critical skill sets. Across-the-board pay increases and locality pay increases, in particular, have long-term fixed costs, yet fail to address existing pay disparities or target mission critical recruitment and retention goals.

The adjustments described above shall take effect on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2019.

Sincerely,

DONALD J. TRUMP

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Thanks. However, I think he will have to officially declare such an emergency before he can actually

... before he can actually use the law.

Note that the budget deficit is only a single item in that list.

Report has to be submitted before Sept.1 of preceding year, which means tomorrow.

[DBoon]

6. Is the Reichstag burning?

That type of "national emergency"?

[marylandblue]

9. That's standard language every president has since Clinton

There is an old law that creates a commission to set civil service pay. Every year it sets pay higher than the president wants to pay, and every year in late August uses that language to set aside the pay increase. Then Congress puts its own pay raise in the budget. Usually it equals what the president wants, but this year the Senate wans 1.9% and the House wants 0.

[haele]

10. He meant "In order to create a national emergancy..."

Get all the Federal Workers to quit, drag your feet replacing them with minimally trained employed "at will" bodies, and you'll have a national emergency and an economic situation quicker than bacon runs through a goose.
Federal employees have never had their locality pay taken away. They may not have gotten a pay raise, they may have been put on furlough, but they've never, ever had locality pay removed.

That 5% - 20% extra is the difference between hiring and retaining quality workforce and maintaining an efficient bureaucracy, which is critical in running a country successfully.

Haele