Trump sets pay freeze for federal workforce in 2019, citing budget problems
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President Trump rescinded a pay raise Thursday for more than 2 million civilian federal employees next year, saying the government can’t afford the scheduled increases and issuing a call for a move to a merit-based pay system.
In a letter to Congress, Mr. Trump said a planned 2.1 percent across-the-board pay increase, and higher pay raises in some areas, instead will be set to zero on his orders. He said the move will save roughly $25 billion.
“We must maintain efforts to put our nation on a fiscally sustainable course, and federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases,” Mr. Trump said.
Democratic lawmakers and the largest union representing federal employees reacted angrily, saying Republican tax cuts have drained far more revenue from the Treasury than the proposed pay raises would.
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