Washington, DC –– Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) released the following statement today after President Obama announced an alternative pay plan proposing a 1.0 percent pay increase and a 0.3 percent locality pay adjustment for civilian federal employees:
“The Obama Administration’s announcement that federal civilian employees will receive an across-the-board pay raise of 1.0 percent in 2016, and a 0.3 percent adjustment for cost of living in the regions where they work, is a step in the right direction of fairly compensating the federal civilian workforce for the wide range of services it performs for all Americans. Although the 2016 increase will not come close to closing the significant pay gap that exists between federal civilian employees and their private sector counterparts who perform similar functions, it will at least slow the pace at which the gap has widened in recent years.
“Federal civilian employees have contributed $159 billion to deficit reduction since 2010 as a result of pay freezes and changes to their pensions. In 2016, I intend to pus