Congress is back in session after the midterm elections, and supporters of a 2027 federal pay raise are aiming at the spending deal due before the current funding law (Public Law 119-103) expires on December 11. No bill text with a civilian raise has surfaced yet. What exists today is a stated plan, a deadline and a set of official documents that define what would have to change.
What the 2027 pay freeze says
On August 26, 2026, the President sent Congress an alternative pay plan under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act (FEPCA). The letter, published as House Document 119-189, states that base and locality pay for civilian employees “will not change from the 2026 rates.”
According to the letter, without the plan locality pay would automatically rise by an average of 20.6 percent in January 2027, along with a 3.1 percent across-the-board increase for the General Schedule (GS) base pay table. The letter also directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to increase 2027 compensation for law enforcement personnel by 3.8 percent, and sets military basic pay increases of 5 to 7 percent depending on grade. OPM’s November 6 implementing memo then set about 6.7 percent for some newly covered law enforcement employees, as detailed in this site’s report on the 2027 law enforcement special rates.
OPM normally publishes the final pay tables in December. Current estimates are on the GS pay scale page.
Who is pushing for a raise
Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) told a Government Executive event on November 5 that he will press for a 2027 raise to be part of any agreement to keep the government open past December 11. According to Government Executive’s report, his starting point is the 4.1 percent average increase in his Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act, though he said he would take a smaller figure, around 3 percent, over nothing. He argued that with insurance premiums rising, a freeze is “effectively a pay cut.” If the raise does not make it into the December agreement, he said the fight would continue in 2027, when any additional continuing resolution expires.
Ad
The wrong FEHB choice could cost you in 2027
Open Season is your chance to review your coverage before another year of premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. This FREE November 17 webinar breaks down 2027 plan changes, employee costs, government contributions, and FSA options. Save your seat today!
The FAIR Act was introduced on February 10 as H.R. 7480 in the House and S. 3823 in the Senate. It would provide a 3.1 percent across-the-board increase plus an average 1 percent locality adjustment. The sponsors’ announcement from Sen. Brian Schatz includes statements of support from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).
Union leaders have said the same thing since the midterm elections. Government Executive reported on November 4 that leaders of federal employee unions named two top priorities: reversing the executive orders that ended collective bargaining for a large part of the workforce, and overriding the 2027 freeze. Matt Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), said the union is “really pushing hard” for a raise in an appropriations bill or continuing resolution.
What stands in the way
The House Appropriations Committee advanced its fiscal 2027 financial services and general government bill without a civilian raise. An amendment for a 3.1 percent raise failed 28-32 along party lines, as covered in this site’s earlier report on the committee vote. In September, more than 100 lawmakers, including one Republican, signed a letter urging congressional leaders to reject the freeze, as covered in this site’s coverage of the letter.
Republicans still control both chambers until the new Congress is seated on January 3. Democrats won control of both chambers in the midterm elections, as outlined in this site’s look at what a Democratic Congress could mean for 2027. That is why supporters describe the weeks before January as the first opportunity and 2027 as the second. The president’s executive order setting the final 2027 pay rates is expected in mid-to-late December, before the new Congress arrives.
There is precedent for Congress overriding a pay plan. In February 2019, the legislation ending the 35-day partial government shutdown included a 1.9 percent raise for civilian employees, replacing a freeze proposed months earlier.
What to watch before the end of the year
- Whether the funding legislation due by December 11 includes any language on civilian pay.
- Whether Congress passes a short-term extension, which would move the pay question into 2027.
- OPM’s final 2027 pay tables, normally issued in December.
What this means for planning
Until a law says otherwise, the operative 2027 policy is the freeze in House Document 119-189. Employees and retirees planning around salary growth, including the high-3 average used in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) pension formula, should assume 2026 pay rates and treat any raise as an upside. Rising Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) premium rates are part of the reason supporters call a freeze a pay cut. This page will be updated if language on civilian pay appears in a funding bill.