3.5% Pay Raise Closer, but still a Long Way Away

On Thursday, with a vote of 397-27, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1585, the Department of Defense’s Authorization Act for fiscal year 2008 which includes the 3.5 percent military pay raise. This is ½ percent above the President’s proposed increase of 3 percent. It is a significant for federal employees who have received pay parity with the military in recent years. The Senate Armed Services subcommittees will begin marking up their version of the authorization bill next week.

While the military pay raise still needs to be considered by the House and Senate appropriations committees where it is conceivable that a lower level could be appropriated, this development is important. It sets a significant precedent for the 3.5 percent pay raise when appropriators consider legislation funding federal employees’ FY 2008 pay raise. That bill, called the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, is expected to be marked up in the House prior to the DOD’s appropriations bill.

There is still a long way to go, however, and ongoing efforts calling for a 3.5 percent pay raise for both groups is making an impact. We need to continue to fight for an identical 3.5 percent pay raise for federal employees.

You can join the fight by sending a letter to your member of Congress.