Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) reintroduced legislation in the House and Senate that would provide federal employees with a 2026 pay raise of 4.3% percent.
If passed, the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act would give a 2026 federal pay raise including an overall average 3.3% increase in base pay with 1% for locality pay.
“The federal workforce is our country’s single greatest asset,” said Connolly. “Even after serving dutifully through a global pandemic and enduring the Trump Administration’s cruel personal attacks, unsafe work environments, pay freezes, government shutdowns, sequestration cuts, furloughs, and mindless across-the-board hiring freezes, they come to work every day in service to the American people. As we prepare for another Trump Administration and its impact on our civil servants, it is only right that they be compensated fairly.”
“Whether it’s inspecting our food, conducting medical research, or caring for veterans, federal workers play an important role in our daily lives and deserve pay that reflects that,” said Schatz. “Our bill boosts wages to keep public service jobs competitive with those in the private sector and maintain a strong and talented federal workforce.”
In a press release, Connolly’s office cited that according to the Federal Salary Council, “federal employees on average earned 24.72% less in 2024 than their counterparts in the private sector. In addition, the 2024 Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey government-wide management report found that pay satisfaction rests at 59% compared to 67% in 2020.”
Both lawmakers previously introduced similar legislation for federal employee pay raises in the 115th, 116th, 117th, and 118th Congresses
The FAIR Act is endorsed by the following organizations: The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Federal Managers Association (FMA), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).
To read the full text of the bill, go here.