Most federal employees would see their pay frozen at 2026 levels next year under an alternative pay plan issued by President Trump this week, though for the second straight year, federal law enforcement officers would receive a 3.8% increase.
Trump first proposed the pay freeze as part of his fiscal 2027 budget proposal. Though the document was silent on federal employee compensation, officials with the Office of Management and Budget quickly clarified that its omission equated to a planned freeze for 2027.
In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, dated Thursday, Trump said increasing most federal employees’ pay would be “unacceptable and unfair” given the inflation that occurred under the Biden administration. Inflation actually has risen from 2.8% when former President Biden left office to 3.3% as of last month.
“I have therefore decided to set at zero the pay adjustment to be made for the 2027 pay year,” Trump wrote. “This decision will maintain fiscal responsibility without harming the government’s ability to recruit and retain well qualified employees.”
But in the next paragraph, Trump said that for the second straight year, he instructed the Office of Personnel Management to issue a 3.8% increase in basic pay to federal law enforcement personnel next year, “to increase recruitment and retention” in those roles.
The issuance of a pay freeze would mark a departure from last year, however. While Trump proposed a pay freeze as part of his fiscal 2026 budget,...
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