As we’ve all experienced, the past few years have been brutal.  From COVID to record-setting inflation folks have been hit hard.  Federal employees are not exempt from this.  In fact, most Federal employees choose a career in the Public Sector not for the pay, but rather for the rewarding experience of helping others and to “give back.”  Most comparable positions in the Private Sector pay far and away more than their Federal counterparts—this includes a broad spectrum of workers, including health care workers at the VA to Border Patrol agents protecting our Nation’s Border.  

While the typical raises enacted barely keep up with inflation, this year inflation has soared to unprecedented heights.  Congress and President Biden are proposing larger-than-normal pay raises ranging from 4-5%.  However, when you couple the fact that Federal pay raises have historically been very lackluster for years with the astronomical rate of inflation, 4-5% is not enough to keep the heads of Federal employees above water.  In fact, at that rate most Federal employees will essentially be taking a pay cut.  The resultant outcome of this pay disparity has been, and will continue to be, a mass exodus from the Federal Sector to the Private Sector where employees are more equitably compensated for their knowledge, skills and abilities.  

With that being said, I am urging all Federal employees to band together to implore Congress and President Biden to legislate a fair pay raise of 8-10% for Federal employees.