A group of 62 lawmakers led by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., urged the House Appropriations Committee to include in the fiscal year 2023 Financial Services and General Government appropriations measure a 5.1 percent salary increase for all federal employees.
The pay raise aligns with the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act that Connolly introduced in January, according to an April 26 letter sent to the House panel.
Legislators said the government underinvested in its federal workforce and the current administration overturned that trend by providing federal personnel with a pay raise of 2.7 percent in 2022 and eliminating prohibitions on union resources and operations.
They also highlighted the need for the government to remain competitive when recruiting the next generation of federal employees.
“With almost a third of the federal workforce eligible to retire in five years, we will face a talent crisis if we fail to make basic investments in federal pay that will attract early career talent to federal government service,” the letter reads.