Obama Urges Congress to End Federal Pay Freeze

President Obama has asked Congress to do something about government workers’ protracted pay freeze, saying he will raise the salaries himself by 1 percent to force them to take action, The Washington Post reported Friday.

Lisa Rein writes the White House default plan seeks to circumvent a legal trigger that would instantly raise federal salaries by 34 percent.

However, it can still be reversed if Congress passes a law before Obama’s Jan. 1 deadline.

“(Civilian federal employees) have already made significant sacrifices as a result of a three-year pay freeze,” Rein quoted Obama’s letter to congressional leaders last week.

“As our country continues to recover from serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare, however, we must maintain efforts to keep our nation on a sustainable fiscal course.”

The Post reported that union leaders welcomed Obama’s gesture, saying they expect the move to go a long way in restoring the annual raise in government.