Trump says government won't give civilian employees raises in 2019

[demmiblue]

Source: CNBC

President Donald Trump said Thursday that civilian employees of the federal government will not receive raises in 2019.

In doing away with the 2.1 percent across-the-board pay increase that was scheduled to take effect in January, Trump said he was working "put our Nation on a fiscally sustainable course."

"I have determined that for 2019, both across the board pay increases and locality pay increases will be set at zero," the president said in a letter addressed to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and released by the White House. "These alternative pay plan decisions will not materially affect our ability to attract and retain a well qualified Federal workforce."

In contrast to civilian employees, troops are due for a 2.6 percent pay increase next year. Trump has touted the military pay bump, which was authorized by a giant $716 billion defense bill he signed earlier this month.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/30/trump-says-government-wont-give-civilian-employees-raises-in-2019.html

[Turbineguy]

1. He may not be around by then.

[The Liberal Lion]

2. Aww come on trumpy

Surely Mexico can pay for it!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Trump Formalizes Federal Pay Freeze Plan for 2019

Trump Formalizes Federal Pay Freeze Plan for 2019

By Erich Wagner | 1:00 PM ET

President Trump on Thursday formally announced that he would pursue a pay freeze for civilian federal employees in 2019, increasing the likelihood of a fight with Congress next month.

Trump needed to formalize an alternative compensation plan for 2019 by tomorrow, or else a 25 percent increase in locality pay and 2.1 percent increase in across-the-board raises would automatically kick in in accordance with the 1990 Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act. He initially floated the prospect of a pay freeze for civilian feds in his fiscal 2019 budget proposal earlier this year. ... “I have determined that for 2019, both across-the-board pay increases and locality pay increases will be set at zero,” Trump wrote. “These alternative pay plan decisions will not materially affect our ability to attract and retain a well-qualified federal workforce.”

The announcement comes weeks after the Senate included a 1.9 percent pay increase for federal workers in one of its minibus spending bills, and after the House in its own legislation did not broach the issue of federal compensation, effectively endorsing the pay freeze. Next week, both chambers will begin negotiations to iron out the differences between the two versions of the spending package.

If Congress chooses to adopt the Senate’s proposed pay increase, that would effectively override Trump’s pay freeze. Although the White House has announced its opposition to the pay increase, it has not issued a veto threat over the provision.

[mr_lebowski]

32. Oh, yeah, I'm SURE he wrote that himself ... lol ...

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

Can't you just totally see him uttering those words?

[jayschool2013]

37. Original memo

I decree that for 2019, no fake gov't employes (AND THATS ALL THEM EXCPET ME) get any more stole money (CUZ THTY DOESN"T WORK) from my American taxpayers. ZERO RAISES FOR EVERYBODY!

[sandensea]

39. +1

The original draft was probably something like "All those bums voted against me - so they're getting NOTHING this year. Believe me!"

[onenote]

4. That's going to hurt repub candidates in Northern Virginia

Hopefully it hurts Barbara Comstock in particular.

[olddad56]

5. got to make up for the 40% tax cut on corporate america somehow,.

[PatSeg]

10. Yep

Someone has to pay for those tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. Ain't gonna pay for themselves!

[jalan48]

6. We have to pay for those weekend trips to Mar A Lago somehow.

[Solly Mack]

7. Needs the money to pay for Melania's gardening clothes?

[meadowlander]

8. In other words, we can't attract or retain a qualified workforce now

so fucking the few remaining people out of their cost of living adjustments won't make it any worse.

Meanwhile 2.1% pay adjustment for Federal employees - unaffordable

$70 billion to build and $150 million year to maintain a useless vanity wall in the middle of a desert - yes, please

$96 million for a vanity parade - totally doable

$100 billion tax cut for the wealthiest 1% - no problemo

[Dan]

30. tax cut

actually 1.4 trillion dollar tax cut...

[BigmanPigman]

31. That is what my school district did to teachers for 5 straight

years in the 2000s . No COLA that was written into our contract through union negotiations. When teachers retired it effected their pensions permanently. I feel for those people effected by this.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

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

[Submariner]

11. Well thanks for giving us a heads up to make our Blue Wave bigger

with pissed off Federal workers voting in November.

[GetRidOfThem]

35. Most of them are already there

Do not need a pay cut to vote anti-Trump. Common sense will suffice...

[Wellstone ruled]

12. Wow,the Rethugs just put the

final nail in their coffin with this stunt.

[Burgie]

13. Trump only cares about rich people

Unfortunately.

[LudwigPastorius]

14. Inflation is rising faster than that 2.1%

That pay increase would have gone a long way in keeping the purchasing power of government employees' wages the same. Instead, they get screwed.

[Bengus81]

15. What a SHOCK!!! The rich and Coporations get the biggest RAISE of their lives,but Federal workers...

Screw you!! This ASSHAT is worried about putting our Nation on a fiscally sustainable course? BULLSHIT!!

His MASSIVE tax cuts are already resulting in a TRILLION$$$ added to the national debt in just eight months. Wait until the full force of those cuts hits home. He'll be racking up a new Trillion $$$$ every six months IMO.

Of course that's what these cuts are really about and everyone knows it.

[not fooled]

16. Donnie hates Federal workers

he and his puppetmasters the kooks et al. hate OUR government and want to wreck the Federal workforce.

Any Federal worker who votes puke is an idiot.

[GetRidOfThem]

38. yup...

[exboyfil]

17. So this 2.1% is like

$5B/yr. or so (around a $200B total salary for employees). Where the hell does he get $25B from?

[C_U_L8R]

18. So much winning

how come everyone is getting poorer, Trump?

[bigbrother05]

20. He'll probably use it as a bargaining chip in the gov't shutdown talks

Nice little government you have there, be a shame to shut it down over some money for a pay raise or wall or something.

The punk thinks he's the ultimate don.

[They_Live]

21. what an

a$$hole.

[BumRushDaShow]

22. So he is admitting the economy is in dire straits?

As a note - Congress can always add it back in, although the House included a freeze in their draft version, which is different from the increase in the Senate version per the OP. So obviously the two bills need to be reconciled and there could be a veto threat too.

I doubt the Senate would go along with the House and give nothing when they both already gave the military 2.6%.... So there will be lots of sausage-making to happen. Feds had 3 years with no pay raise (FY11, 12, 13) during the depths of the great recession, and then only got 1% for FY14 & FY15, 1.3% in FY16, 2.1% in FY17 & 1.9% in FY18 (+incl. locality pay) and we are not in the middle of a recession at the moment. If anything, they could be sued for violating the Pay Comparability Act for letting it go so paltry for so long -

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Years ago, a Republican president (George H.W. Bush) and a Democratic Congress passed the FEPCA law. It provided for a series of annual pay raises that were designed to gradually lift federal pay, on a city-by-city basis (locality pay) based on comparable wages for their counterparts in the private sector. But when he took office, President Bill Clinton balked at what he and advisers thought were overly generous raises. He recommended a 0 percent increase. Congress overrode him, but that set the pattern that continued through President George W. Bush. Pay raises that were smaller than called for by the FEPCA law. President Obama proposed a two-year federal pay raise freeze which Congress, happily, extended to three.

https://federalnewsradio.com/federal-report/2016/05/sad-history-of-federal-pay-raises/

[world wide wally]

23. Please Mr President... I am so tired of winning!

[Firestorm49]

24. What Crap

This, after the fool gave the top 1% the money (excessive tax breaks that never trickle down) that could have gone to help true workers just get by. But, you know, we need to coddle the rich and give them whatever they want in an oligarchy, or what good is it?

[riversedge]

25. Our economy is doing GREAT says Trump but he now FREEZES Fed. empolyee pay raise.

How cruel. damn.

[dlk]

26. Take That...

More Trump bullying. The enormous black hole of emptiness resides that within must be bothering him again.

[hurple]

27. Well

There's another group that won't vote for him

[Me.]

28. As His Family & Cabinet Costs Us Another Gazillion Dollars

[left-of-center2012]

29. Will Trump supporters rally behind him on this?

A lot of farmers supported Trump on tariffs that hurt them.

I want to hear Trump supporters tell federal workers:
"You don't need no 'stinkin' raises!"

[riversedge]

34. The ones at Trumps rallies would do it gladly!

[grantcart]

36. Federal Employees have a very high vote turnout in off year elections.

Brilliant move.

[elleng]

40. 'The politics of the pay freeze could be dicey.

While the president has railed against the Washington "swamp," less than 20 percent of the nation's nearly 2 million civilian full-time federal employees live in the D.C. metropolitan area, according to the Office of Personnel Management. The move could also further imperil Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-VA., a vulnerable incumbent whose district is home to tens of thousands of government employees.'>>>

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/30/trump-says-government-wont-give-civilian-employees-raises-in-2019.html?

[DeminPennswoods]

41. Lots of civilian civil servants work at and maintain

a ton of behind the scenes services for the military. Bet they won't be too happy.

[jcgoldie]

42. He's right we just can't afford those raises...

We need every dollar we can save for a stupid fucking wall and another tax break for Wal Mart... oh yeah and SPACE FORCE!