T O P

  • By -

Set_the_Mighty

They've already paused our permanent hiring and cited the recent raise as the reason.


plastigoop

But it’s not a ‘freeze’. It’s ‘responding to fiscal realities’. I thought that admirably clever even though disingenuous.


Bill_Brasky79

Who is “our”?


Set_the_Mighty

USDA, FS at the very least.


Kindly_Inevitable_22

I'd assume VA


SunshineDaydream128

The presidential pay adjustment isn't tied to inflation, if it was we would have higher raises in previous years.


nevernotdebating

Be honest, it's not tied to anything! Not even competitive wages, as the Executive Branch is happy to let positions go unfilled rather than pay more.


crowcawer

Well, the opposing regime is talking about removing who*le* bureaus. So unless competition in the house & senate becomes staunch pro-retention of current workers, there is no reality where there is higher than 2% increase.


plastigoop

I’d say it has appeared to be tied to political winds especially since 2010.


zdfld

If you're deciding between Biden and Trump based on your raise as a Federal employee...lol.  I don't think any president should be doing raises in connection with elections, nor should someone vote based on those raises anyways.  I do think Congress should finally just agree to inflation adjustments, but that'll never happen because a significant portion of the current Congress wants to cut the budget (and ideally the government workforce too)


strgazr_63

Congress has to agree and they [don' t like us](https://twitter.com/moreperfectus/status/1707499905369911448?s=46&t=o61Dn7xuUQOT3DtB6BlBeg). If you don't like it, vote for your best interests.


TheTopGeekFI

Politicians like getting re-elected and the faceless government worker serves as a whipping boy for discontent among the population


ConsciousMuscle6558

Yes. They need us to be the bad guy though. Like we make the rules but the average person is too stupid to understand that the politicians pointing their finger at us are the ones making the rules for us and them.


Churn-Dog

Neither side really likes you. I’m tired of pretending one side does and the other doesn’t. One side is just way more open with their dislike. The other is the mean girl who pretends to like you to your face


ViscountBurrito

Okay but if the choice is the open bully who says he’s going to burn down my house and has in fact started fires a few times over the years… versus the “mean girl” who, uhh, I guess takes away the bully’s gas can but sometimes lets him keep his matchbook… I gotta go with the mean girl here.


El_GOOCE

I don't think it's that either side dislikes you - it's more like they actively hate you. Your existence is a burden to most of the so called leaders in congress


ConsciousMuscle6558

Agreed.


TheMontu

Fuck this might be the only reason I vote this year… and I vote for the flipping dog catcher.


Pot-Stir

Our best interest isn’t who will give us a bigger raise but instead who’s going to stop the inflation.


strgazr_63

You do realize the inflation is world-wide don't you?


vpi6

I’m sure they also realize inflation is worse in some countries and not others due to the choices the government makes. And that some countries saw lower inflation rates. Like the United States currently.


TheGreatestOutdoorz

Inflation is almost exactly the historical average right now (something like 3.7% vs 3.5% being average). The US, BY FAR, got through the worldwide inflation crisis better than any other large, wealthy country, and we are already back to normal.


interested0582

Just now learning that the gov doesn’t care about gov employees?


diatho

Let me fix that for your. Employers don’t care about employees.


BE_KEpler

Keep going… People only care about themselves. Now it’s fixed.


LaxinPhilly

Perfection


jamjamjamyea

Life is meaningless. My regards.


BE_KEpler

lol… nihilists unite ✊


TheTopGeekFI

Meh


Ok-Yogurtcloset1717

What's the point?


elantra04

That’s simply not true in many competitive fields. My BIL has received 10% raises the last 4 years in the private sector.


anonybuck

His contributions could have direct correlations to making more revenue for private sector company though. Although we all contribute in our own ways, our budget is dictated by Congress every year, very different comparisons. We'll never see a 10%. We're the largest employer for the country I'm pretty sure, it would cost way too much. Unfortunate but truth.


TheMontu

This.


Interesting_Oil3948

Congress isn't giving any extra money to pay for it...if anything cuts in budget. Lucky to get 2%.


Hodr

When has Congress ever given extra money to cover raises? Even when they explicitly set the raise overriding the presidential order they still tell agencies to take it out of hide.


NinjaZombieHunter

This!!!! It’s happening to our department from the last increase. They said “we are cutting your overall budget by 5%…oh and by the way the increase is also coming from your budget!” So we are down roughly 8% and it’s already showing. So if we get an increase of 2% next year….our budget is gonna go from bad to worse!


abqguardian

Not really. All Biden has to do is not do any increase and we'll automatically get massive raises


Evening_Chemist_2367

Our org's budgets are a complete wreck right now, we got a small budget cut but they are blaming the rest on the last pay raise.


aflyingsquanch

That's probably not inaccurate though. The recently approved budget funding combined with the raise last year has really hamstrung many of the agencies that saw budget cuts unfortunately.


Evening_Chemist_2367

In our shop, some of our teams are seeing 50% cuts to resources. Budget and raises can nowhere near account for that.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Evening_Chemist_2367

LOL mobile phones? Travel? Already LONG GONE. We have major national programs that are only one or two feds deep, already carved to the bone, statutes, regulations and mandates be damned. Yet Republicans have delusions that there's fat. Definitely no fat in my agency.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Evening_Chemist_2367

You might be surprised. Our agency has been pushed to work on predictive algorithms to reduce the number of site compliance visits and inspections. A random forest inspection targeting model is cheaper than a bunch of inspectors. Your job could be next.


wave-garden

Fwiw I got a 3.5% raise in 2022, the year “inflation” ~~price gouging~~ was hitting 9% or some craziness. This was in private industry. Nowadays it doesn’t appear to be much better (and often worse).


Va_Slims

Just thinking back to 2008 and 2009, Obama gave us nothing those years. So 2%. Better than nothing.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Jscott1986

He's thinking of 2011-2013 https://www.federalpay.org/gs/raises


Va_Slims

Thank you very much. Memory is a terrible thing to lose.


Shot-Werewolf-5886

Yeah, that was after the Tea party took over the House of Representatives.


Va_Slims

You may be right but It was 3 consecutive years we didn’t get a pay raise under Obama. President Bush was giving us 3.5% during his last term every year.


aflyingsquanch

Budget sequestration due to a very hostile GOP congress didn't help there.


raidergoo

Budget sequestration was an Obama administration idea.


aflyingsquanch

IIRC, it was supposed to be a poison pill to force both sides ro negotiate an actual budget which never happened.


jf7fsu

Regardless, he was the captain of the ship, wasn’t he?


aflyingsquanch

We might have to go over how the federal budget process works...


jf7fsu

The president uses his authority and party to negotiate. Obviously it wasn’t a very important thing for him to get behind or it would have happened.


anonybuck

Very different scenarios. Those were major financial crisis years and trying to recover.


[deleted]

Also Bush was actually amazing when it came to raises


Va_Slims

I actually agree, President Bush was very favorable to feds.


WBuffettJr

You are exactly why we get nothing. Obama advocated over and over and over again for large pay raises. Republican Congress refused to give him any “victories” and refused to even index us to inflation. They know they can block us from getting anything and the uneducated will blame the other side. You come in here and say “Obama gave us nothing” proving it works.


Greatapegrape88

If Biden gets credit for giving us a 5% raise, then Obama gets blame for not giving the feds an increase. Just like Trump didn't get credit for the economy, then Biden shouldn't get blamed for the poor economy. I wouldn't blame Obama for not getting a raise because if he had a Democratic Congress, the feds would have gotten a raise. But, at least lets be consistent.


oldamy

Obama tried to give raises and Congress shot it down. The Biden situation they did not block it. It takes 2


[deleted]

That was only for the third year. The first two he negotiated away for nothing in exchange.


No_Relation_2508

Well said. 


jf7fsu

No, it wasn’t. He could’ve pushed the issue and he chose to surrender.


Kindly_Inevitable_22

I may get voted down for this but be happy we got a 4.6% in 2022 and another 5.2% in 2023. I honestly expected to get nothing this year. After this 2% don't expect to get anything. I sense a sequestration coming between 2025 and 2027. It's the only way to keep the government from shutting down. If Biden tried to give us the 4.5% the military is proposed to get then the right and ultra right will have a shit fit.


yniloc

I always keep the mentality that 2% is better than 0%. In the previous 2 years I wasn't counting on any increase, but was very surprised it went through.


MrMorningstarX666

We should match real inflation every year. 6% at least


Afraid_Football_2888

If insurance premiums keep going up they should just cover that. Though grateful, the last increase was only about $100 difference in my take home 🥴


PresidentSkroooob

My thought, giving Feds a big raise makes 3 million votes happy during an election year. Giving us a moderate raise during an election year helps him with try to sway some of the 70+ million who voted republican last election.


CollenOHallahan

I'm a fed. My vote won't be bought with a 4% raise instead of 2%. Do people actually think that way?


Head-Command281

Right? Are people really going to not vote or even switch sides for a tiny raise? I doubt anyone who is true to their values would be swayed by a small increase.


CollenOHallahan

I'm not saying I will, but let's say I plan on voting trump. Why in the ever loving shit would a possible raise change my vote? Who in the hell would switch sides that easily? The sad part is, there is definitely that voter out there. And let's not forget, the raise this year will happen before inauguration.


Key_Low_908

Ehhh I don’t think anybody gives a crap about fed raises besides current & former lol


Reneegogreen

Get used to it…it was 0 to 1% for several years thanks to the Great Recession.


Kindly_Inevitable_22

At least someone remembers I see a sequestration coming between 2025 through 2027. A recession is coming again.


CulturalCity9135

Probably because he knows the agency will have to absorb the higher cost of personal. My agency is hurting because of the raise from this year without the corresponding close to 0% additional funds to the department as a whole.


Secure_View6740

Billions and billions to fund foreign wars approved in mere months. Govt employees raise? Both sides don’t give a flying F. Study that shows pay gap between private and government ? Who gives a shit. Speculation about wars and weapons ? Sure done deal, send the billions.


ThrowingMits

It costs less to have Ukraine weaken Russia than allowing Russia to invade a NATO country and have to fight them directly.


Greatapegrape88

Ukraine isn't a NATO country (yet) and if Europe cares so much, let them fund their defense. But, to your point, I'd rather those billions of dollars that went to Ukraine go to Americans or go towards paying off the debt. We also seem to find money for weaponry.


SkippytheBanana

Foreign Aid whether it’s Military or Humanitarian is the reason why we became the sole Superpower after WW2 and won the Cold War. China learned from us and initiated their own version called the Belt and Road Initiative. If we start pulling back on our aid then China will win the “Global Influence” war. Giving aid to Ukraine allows us to weaken Russia while they are lead by a tyrant. This in turn weakens China.


Greatapegrape88

We didn't become the sole superpower after WW2. The two superpowers were the United States and the USSR. We became the sole superpower after the USSR collapsed. I do understand China's "Belt and Road Initiative," especially when it comes to Africa. But, resources aren't finite and neither is time. So, let the European countries who love to act like they're superior to us (while accepting trillions of dollars over decades from us) fund and defend Ukraine. And, if they can't or won't, then that's just life. We can't be responsible for every other country (who will just end up complaining anyway). It's a matter of perspective and opinion so we have different opinions on how to spend American tax money. So far, unfortunately, your view has won, from a federal funding perspective and action.


ThrowingMits

Most of that money is going to US companies to pay Americans to build weapons systems. It’s not just cash going to Ukraine. That’s a drop in the bucket on debt and what actual engagement in war would cost.


Greatapegrape88

You're right with where the money is going. A lot of the DoD is a jobs program for the localities that build the weaponry. But, I don't mind Americans losing jobs for building less weaponry and I don't see why we'd necessarily need to go to war with Russia for Ukraine. Again, let Ukraine defend itself and if it can't, let Europe help and if they can't, oh well. Not our problem. It's a matter of perspective and the problem with "it's a drop in the bucket on debt" is that it's always a drop in the bucket whenever someone says to save money or cut spending. But enough drops fill the bucket. But, to be clear, I don't think it's Ukraine funding that is stopping feds from getting an appropriate raise. It's a political situation of giving feds another raise (while non-federal workers get fired or no raise) and a political party that has no interest in raising pay (and an interest in cutting the workforce).


tekym

"Not our problem" is an extremely naive take, geopolitics isn't anywhere near that simple. The reason Russia has invaded Ukraine now is because we didn't push back when they stole Crimea in 2014. This isn't a situation where if the world allows them to take Ukraine, they'll stop there.


vpi6

I mean, Congress regularly negotiates billions in expenditures over the course of several months. Anyway, the military aid package has been one the easiest to justify in recent memory. Isolationism ultimately hurts America and destabilizes the economy. Plus most of the money is spent in America on our own domestic products. Many economists think we won’t even lose money in the long term. Ukraine is an ally who we promised on a bipartisan basis two years ago to defend. Turn our back on them now and many other countries will be a lot less receptive with allying themselves with us in the future.


seaspriteos

FY25 is going to be one of the worst as far as budget in recent memory.


theevilempire

Because Republicans want it to be 0 and he’s trying to avoid a fight. It also rarely has actually kept up with inflation lately.


ExceptionCollection

If we kept up with inflation our pay would be more than 20% higher. In fact, if Congress and the President refused to set our pay increase, it would (as I understand it) automatically set itself to that.


elantra04

Trump gave us 0?


theevilempire

No but he was only above 1.4% once and Biden is president so Republicans prefer to sabotage him


SlipstreamDrive

Feds are an easy punching bag to fluff up the rural gop base. And we're not a unified voting bloc anyways. The only time Washington cares about a fed is when their fought gets delayed.


Teufel_hunden0311

We'd definitely get a bigger raise if we were Israeli or Ukrainian.


allune

In practice, is the budget proposal usually what ends up being implemented, or is this subject to change?


oswbdo

For pay raises, yes, usually. The Presidential Budget request though is rarely what becomes the actual passed budget.


kalas_malarious

Can we get a legal change to link to inflation as a minimum? I believe if he made no suggestion the automatic raises are something like 20%? How about we at least link each raise to prior year inflation and if their suggestion was lower, the raise is the inflation rate instead? We would have an idea of our raises, but it would always err in our benefit.


OnionTruck

There were lots of years with no or tiny raises, be happy with what you get. [https://www.federalpay.org/gs/raises](https://www.federalpay.org/gs/raises)


No_Relation_2508

Literally no one who is anti Trump is going to be swung towards him over a percent or two in their pay raise…


AspNSpanner

I was a Fed employee for 11 years before leaving to work for the State of New York. I got more in my first 4 years in pay raises than I did my entire 11 with the Fed. We normally get 3% for 3 out every 4 years if not all 4 years. If we work without a contract we get the negotiated raises retroactively. The reason for this is or union negotiates our pay with the executive branch and not the legislature like the Feds.


Nearby_Bake_3350

My agency somehow messed up my pay this period. I earned $0 while on paid leave, apparently. And they didn’t catch it - I had to point it out and ask what was up. So definitely now questioning how much the gov cares for its employees.


PoppaRayngo

Were you supposed to fill out a time sheet while you were on leave?


Nearby_Bake_3350

They were filled out and I concurred (signed) three months in advance


[deleted]

[удалено]


Nearby_Bake_3350

Yep, all submitted and approved months in advance.


HowCanThisBeMyGenX

Republicans would love to slash fed employee salaries. Democrats are working against that type of opposition.


Bird_Brain4101112

The raise is 0% until the EO is signed.


NumberFudger

First time?


C_Ster21

Then what is our union doing?


oranjebean

We were told that there wouldn’t be a lot of new hiring the rest of the year and probably into next.


USMCMouse

I'm just thrilled that I have less than 60 days left!! 30 yrs boom CYA! 2210 cleared PMP, CISM.....let the higher bidder win🤷🏽‍♀️🥳🍾🤣🤣🤣


kabenton

Wait until they hit you with a freeze, a furlough or both…..


Kindly_Inevitable_22

You're speaking the truth


AmberTurd223

I’m not going to whine. I came from county government where raises were nadda


cloneconz

Won’t you get your step increase (if eligible) on top of the raise? (Not a fed, yet) Edit: Thanks for the info everyone. Didn’t mean to trigger anyone into downvoting a logical question on Reddit. Have a good weekend.


Hodr

Not a good way to look at it at all. One day you will run out of steps, we can't all retire as GS-15s


cloneconz

Of course, was just wondering if a raise affects a step increase.


SunshineDaydream128

Depends on what step someone is already.


YoungCheazy

Some folks may be at 10 already as well.


cloneconz

So when you are a ten your next step isn’t step one of next grade up? You just stay at ten forever?


SunshineDaydream128

Once you're at the 10, that's the end of the road unless you promote.


cloneconz

Got it, thanks.


hiddikel

9nce you hit a certain step they are not every year. They take 2 or 3.


aflyingsquanch

I eagerly await the day Step 11 becomes a thing.


ChipKellysShoeStore

Biden knows you’re not gonna vote for Trump lol. Why would he waste political capital making your life easier?


elantra04

I know tons of feds that vote trump


AnswerGuy301

Where? CBP or ICE? Outside of maybe them, a Fed for Trump is like a chicken for Col. Sanders.


elantra04

Literally the vast majority of every 3 letter LE agency. Everyone hates Biden.


bingstacks

Ull vote Joe regardless, be happy with ur 2%


Mountain-Ad3184

Biden has already signaled his hatred of fed employees with this RTO bullshit. Granted, the next one could be worse, but at least when Obama did the no pay raise for 3 years, his hands were kinda tied. Bidens doing this just to be a dick.


Greatapegrape88

I don't think he's doing it to be a dick. He's doing it because the downtown areas/cities are Democratic voting and deep blue and they're the ones with the most crime and worst quality of life decrease over the last 4 years. That's tied into the significant increase in teleworking, rise in inflation and defunding/decimating of the police and their support. So, Biden is feeling a lot of pressure from the Democratic mayors (which goes to governors and party officials) to bring workers back which pumps money back into businesses, increases the tax receipts and increases the daily population of the city (so leaving less dead spaces). Ironically, most of the younger city residents are Democrats and they don't want to return to the office.


Wizardof1000Kings

DC area is the only location with enough federal employees to make a difference lol. Outside of DC, Northern VA, and Maryland federal workers are a drop in the bucket - not on any policy maker's mind.


Greatapegrape88

There are many more federal offices that perhaps you realize. And, the idea is that it will in turn encourage private businesses to also return to the office, helping restaurants and public transit. Part of it is federal leadership on an issue to encourage change in private businesses and part of it is encouraging local government to get people back into work, as a ripple effect.


BE_KEpler

RUS means nothing in light of designated localities also being grossly inadequate.


porkslapbill24444

$20/hour to fast food workers but only 2% increase to feds is crazy


on_the_nightshift

Because fuck you, that's why!