US President Joe Biden is reportedly on track to propose a 5.7% increase in wages for federal government workers in the country.
According According to a Washington Post report, citing sources close to the plans, the increase will be the largest in more than 40 years.
The last time a significantly larger increase was proposed and implemented was under President Jimmy Carter. Times have changed since then, and the current reality in the US economy is that federal staff salaries have been relatively stagnant while inflation has skyrocketed since the advent of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
According to one of the sources, the measure will be presented to Congress as soon as possible so that it enters into force in the fiscal budget billed as of October 1. If approved, the implementation is scheduled to go into effect. by January 2024.
The measure has garnered criticism and appraisal from members of Congress and key stakeholders in the US. While Democrats are known to support the measure, House Republicans believe the efforts will be a way to continually fund a sector government agency with a known record of poor customer service.
“President Biden continues to ensure that federal workers’ pay and benefits are insulated from the price of inflation, but will be paid for by American taxpayers who continue to be hurt by the Biden Administration’s inflationary policies,” the president of the Biden said. House Oversight Committee. James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement. “We should put American taxpayers first, not the federal bureaucracy.”
Democrats who support the push hope the process will be a non-partisan affair, as it is intended for the American public.
Federal workers want higher wages
While the president will reportedly go all-out for federal workers within his salary range of up to $2 million, there is visible division among union leaders over the exact amount of the package.
“While we recognize the importance of this pay increase, more must be done to keep up with inflation and begin to make serious progress in closing the double-digit pay gap between federal employees and their private sector counterparts,” he said. Everett Kelley, National President. of the American Federation of Government Employees, he said in an email.
Instead of the 5.7% proposed by the White House, Kelley advocates an increase of 8.7% to fully capture the influence of red-hot inflation.
The discussions are still largely being kept private, as the report acknowledged that the Office of Management and Budget and the White House have yet to make an official announcement about the efforts that are underway at this time.
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Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalist who enjoys writing about the real-life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive mainstream acceptance and global integration of emerging technology. His desire to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain-based sites and media. Benjamin Godfrey is a lover of sports and agriculture.
