Federal Managers Association

In the News

• Trump likely to propose pay freeze for federal workers in 2026 - April 14, 2025

• In OMB’s response to agency budget submissions, the White House budget office told officials to prepare for a freeze on federal civilian pay next year.

  Erich Wagner, Government Executive

  The news came in the form of a passback, which is effectively the Office of Management and Budget’s response to agencies’ individual budget submissions. A report by the Congressional Research Service says agencies can appeal certain programmatic decisions to OMB, the documents are, for all intents and purposes, the office’s final decision.

  A copy of one agency’s passback, obtained by Government Executive, said the document’s funding levels “reflect a pay freeze for civilian employees in calendar year 2026.”
  
  If enacted, it would mark the first year that federal workers have not received a pay increase since 2013, the last of three years of pay freezes amid sequestration. President Trump previously proposed pay freezes in the first three of his annual budget submissions, but Congress ultimately overruled him each time, with raises in the range of 1.4% to 2.6%.

  To read the full article, click here.

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