President Biden confirmed a 2.7 percent pay increase today for the Federal civilian workforce, consistent with his FY2022 budget, in a letter sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
“I have determined that for 2022, the across-the-board base pay increase will be 2.2 percent and locality pay increases will average 0.5 percent, resulting in an overall average increase of 2.7 percent for civilian Federal employees, consistent with the assumption in my 2022 Budget,” President Biden said in the letter. “This alternative pay plan decision will not materially affect our ability to attract and retain a well-qualified Federal workforce.”
The pay adjustment will take effect on “the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2022,” President Biden said.
This 2.7 percent pay increase is a significant step up from the 1 percent increase Federal civilian employees received in the FY2021 spending bill. However, it is a decrease from the 3.1 percent bump Feds received in the FY2020 omnibus spending package.
The 2.7 percent increase is less than some might have hoped for, including Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, who introduced a 3.2 percent pay raise earlier this year.
