It looks like Federal workers will have to enjoy the Labor Day holiday weekend wisely, with the future in mind. President Donald Trump has announced to Congress that he is canceling the pay raise for the majority of the civilian Federal workers due in January. But it might not be forever; as he explained that the workers could still get a smaller boost under the proposal the lawmakers are drafting.
The massive cuts
The president explained to Congress Thursday night that he will be cutting 2.1 percent across-the-board raise for most workers. And he is not leaving out locality pay increases which cost a heavy $25 billion with an average of 25.7 percent.
ANC News reported he said, "We must maintain efforts to put our Nation on a fiscally sustainable course, and Federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases." And this is not his first cut. This comes after the package of tax cuts Mr. Trump signed last year, forecast to bring an expansion to the federal deficit by a total of $1.5 trillion in the running of 10 years.
Under law, the 2.1 percent raise operates at an automatic basis, unless changed by the president or Congress.
Ugly deficits by Trump administration
July saw a great upward deficit revisal by Trump administration compared to the February estimate in the budget proposal sent to Congress. This worsening deficit is giving a reflection on some of the proposals approved by Congress earlier this year; including an increased spending on military and domestic projects.
The revised July estimate made a move from $873 billion from February to $890 billion, presenting a 34 percent increase from the projection of 2017 which stood at $666 billion. And it does not stop there, the administration is estimating the deficit will top $1 trillion in 2019 and remain there for the 3 years following, making it the second time the state has gone beyond the $1 trillion mark since the four years period of 2009 to 2012.
The criticism
This received criticism from The Democratic Party and the American Federation of Government Employees; representing about 700 000 federal workers. Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Tom Prez described it as a slap in the face, saying, "Trump has delivered yet another slap in the face to American workers," ABC News reported.
Unions are also speaking up, urging Congress to pass the 1.9 percent raise they were already debating for. "President Donald Trump's plan to freeze wages for this patriotic workers next year ignores the fact that they are worse off today financially than they were at the start of the decade," Cox David Sr said.
But in his defense, President Trump stressed the significant cost of employing federal workers. He said pay should be based on performance and dedicated to recruitments, retaining and rewarding "high-performance Federal employees and those with critical skill set".
Rep. Gerry Collany, who represents many federal unions blames it on Trump's mismanagement of government. He stated, "His tax bill exploded the deficit, and now he is trying to balance the budget on the backs of federal workers."
