Updated at 3:30 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n
President Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal<\/a>, released Friday morning, would freeze federal civilian employees’ pay in 2027, all while granting a sizeable raise for members of the armed services.<\/p>\n An Office of Management and Budget spokesperson told\u00a0Government Executive\u00a0that under Trump’s budget, civilian workers would receive no pay increase next January. But under the plan, members of the military would receive between a 5% and 7% pay increase, with the highest raises going to the lowest ranked personnel.<\/p>\n \u201cThe administration recognizes the importance of America\u2019s warfighters and their families, so the budget funds a military pay raise of 7% for all [Defense Department] military personnel ranked E-5 and below, 6% for E-6 to O-3, and 5% for O-4 and above,\u201d the document states. \u201cThis enduring investment, far above the standard annual military pay raise, builds on the president\u2019s recruiting and retention success, by doubling down on the administration\u2019s goal to restore America\u2019s fighting force.\u201d<\/p>\n In order to follow through on his pay freeze plan, Trump must submit an “alternative pay plan” to Congress by August to avert sizeable automatic increases in locality pay due to the 1990 Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act, an annual exercise from presidents of both parties since the law\u2019s passage.<\/p>\n Last spring, the Office of\u00a0Management and Budget told agencies through internal \u201cpass back\u201d documents to expect a pay freeze<\/a> for 2026, but Trump’s alternative pay plan ultimately advanced a 1% across-the-board raise<\/a> for most civilian workers, and a 3.8% raise for select federal law enforcement occupations, in line with the pay increase seen in the military.<\/p>\n