Roby Votes to Reinstate Freeze on Federal Pay
By: Stephen Crews
Updated: February 18, 2013
U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) today voted to reinstate a freeze
on federal salaries and rescind a pay hike ordered by President Barack Obama for federal workers and Members of Congress.
"In
a time of historic budget difficulty, the bill rightly seeks to limit
federal spending
on the government workforce," Rep. Roby said. "All employers like the
ability to give pay raises to hardworking employees. However, government
employee pay raises are a luxury we cannot afford when the government
can't even balance its budget."
On
December 27, 2012, President Obama signed an executive order ending a
pay freeze that
had been in place since 2009, which set in motion an across the board
pay increase for federal employees, including Members of Congress and
the Vice President. The President's pay hike would cost taxpayers $11
billion over the next ten years, according to
the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
Rep.
Roby proposed an amendment to the legislation that would have also
temporarily halted
"step" increases for federal workers, which are periodic pay increases
based not on merit, but on longevity. According to the Office of
Personnel Management, step increases have resulted in a median pay
increase of approximately $3,164 per federal employee--all
during the so-called pay freeze. Meanwhile, average federal government
employee compensation is nearly double the median household income.
"I
have been disappointed that over the past two years of the President's
so-called 'freeze'
on federal pay, federal employees have continued to receive step
increases," Roby stated. "Soon, I will be re-introducing the Honest
Budget Act to continue the fight for honesty and accountability in the
budget process."
A similar provision was included in Rep. Roby's Honest Budget Act, which she introduced in
the 112th Congress. The House considered H.R. 273 under a closed procedural rule, preventing amendments like
Roby's from receiving a vote.
H.R. 273, sponsored by Representative Ron DeSantis (R-FL), passed the House by a vote of
261-154. The full text of the legislation can be found here.
