Biden Gives Federal Workers Largest Pay Raise In Over 40 Years

[Edgetho]

It’s easy to bash federal workers and use the worst abuses to define the entire workforce but many are unpolitical professionals including scientists, foreign policy experts etc who work hard to make systems run smoothly so we aren’t even aware of it. For example, the career civil service that collects and organizes data for briefings, does all the groundwork for an international event, makes sure that the political appointees do not commit any major faux pas, and that is just in the foreign service.

While I get that there are abuses in the system, I don’t think people realize that a) these are people like any people with a job to do and a family to feed, working all around the country and b) you are most likely a beneficiary of their work without even realizing it. In an era when Congress is incompetent and gridlocked and partisan, these people manage to keep things running in spite of it.

Teleworking, from an employers point of view, can often save money in maintenance or rental physical space, utilities, etc. for jobs that aren’t dependent on a physical presence. So…why bash that?

The other thing is that every tine they get an increase…people bitch. But their salary, particularly in upper level professional fields, is not competing with the private sector and in fact, the pay gap is widening.

In recent years, data comparing federal government and private sector compensation from the Bureau of Labor Statistics had indicated that the gap has slowly trended downward, with federal workers earning 22.47% less on average than private sector workers in similar jobs in 2021. But this year, the pay disparity spiked to 24.09%.​

It’s easy to point to the abuses and waste in the system, and we all likely know of some examples. When I worked at NASA, 34 years ago, the director of our unit, a political appointee, was a complete buffoon who played video games on his computer during work. Being a political appointee, there wasn’t much you could do about it and it was thanks to the professionals under him, who were serious about their mission, that things got done.

The other thing many don’t realize is that many of the rules that make it hard to fire civil servants also means it is harder to fire people for political reasons and replace them with political people every time a new administration comes into power. Imagine the loss of expertise and institutional and project memory that would be lost and have to be rebuilt every four years? ( and btw, I don’t believe in the Deep State crap…it’s an excuse completely politicize the civil service).


All that doesn’t mean there aren’t issues to address, but they deserve a pay raise like any other professional and when you have such a pay gap, you struggle to attract good people. It shouldn’t be pitched as a Social Security vs Federal Workers issue either. Both need increases and it isn’t a zero sum equation.

You make a case for improving the pay and benefits for SOME Federal Workers.

But that does nothing for the thousands and thousands of useless, corrupt and worthless Fed Workers that simply get in the way.

When you find a nest of Rats do you try to determine which ones are good rats and which are the bad rats? When you have to clear a Hornet's nest do you try to separate the stinger-less drones from the dangerous ones?

Better yet -- Can you?

Yes, there are some wonderful people working for the Federal goobermint. Dedicated, selfless, caring, etc.

Then there's people like Fauci

But overall, collectively...... They suck. With the EPA being the absolute worst of the worst or the worst. And the FBI being right behind them. The IRS? They're a real treasure, huh?

Your words are compelling but they are wasted trying to save Federal Workers. Collectively, the worst Rats' Nest on the Planet

 

[Edgetho]

So how is that on Biden? Who funds these agencies?

It's an Executive Function. Congress has no say in it.

 

[Coyote]

You dumb Moon Bat.

The Federal government is bloated with welfare and entitlements and yes the shitheads are the ones handing out the dole but we don't need them.

Ok Flash. Are you a veteran, do you get VA benefits? Do collect social security? Do you or a family member collect disability? Those are all part of the federal government.

Do you drive on any interstates? Is your new car going to blow up? When you buy a can of peas, does it contain copper sulphate? Are your children’s school buses safe? That’s part of the federal government as well.

The Federal government should be reduced to Defense, courts, state department, border patrol, treasury for printing currency and few other agencies like the Patent Office. All those worthless alphabet agencies need to be abolished.

See above.

We don't need any welfare, grants, subsidies, entitlements or bailouts. We need to phase out Social Security and Medicare.

Fortunately, most of us have no desire to return to the 1930’s.

We are $33 trillion in debt on top of the filthy ass Feds spending $7.3 trillion this year with two trillion of that in debt and that is way too much.

Congress, not “tbe Feds” determines spending.

The only reason the goddamn Democrats are kissing the Federal worker's ass with a pay raise is because of an election year.

Whatever the reason, the raise is needed.

 

[Coyote]

It's an Executive Function. Congress has no say in it.

How is that? The president can only recommend a (non-binding) budget. Congress then decides on what it should be and passes it. Immigration has long been grossly underfunded and it is antiquated with huge backlogs.

 

[bodecea]

as well as retired military

Yep! Good for us!

 

[Harpy Eagle]

It's an Executive Function. Congress has no say in it.

Congress has the final say in it as they have to pass the budget.

Congress could have stopped this pay raise had they just taken the time to do so, but the Repubs were just too busy doing other things

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Yep! Good for us!

it is so heart warming how many people want to give us more money!

 

[Zincwarrior]

LOL.....It went up $50.00.....Medicare went up $49.00.

Thanks Biden.

Socialism!

 

[Edgetho]

How is that? The president can only recommend a (non-binding) budget. Congress then decides on what it should be and passes it. Immigration has long been grossly underfunded and it is antiquated with huge backlogs.

The day to day internal workings of Executive Functions are not supervised by Congress.

 

[Jim H - VA USA]

I think across the board is the worst way of doing things…it is the most damaging. Look for ineffiencies and redundancy and go from there. Some units may already be bare bones and others bloated.

I think it goes without saying that there are inefficiencies and redundancies, and a very effective way to flush them out is by sticking to a reasonable budget.

Regards,
Jim

 

[Flash]

Ok Flash. Are you a veteran, do you get VA benefits? Do collect social security? Do you or a family member collect disability? Those are all part of the federal government.

Do you drive on any interstates? Is your new car going to blow up? When you buy a can of peas, does it contain copper sulphate? Are your children’s school buses safe? That’s part of the federal government as well.



See above.



Fortunately, most of us have no desire to return to the 1930’s.




Congress, not “tbe Feds” determines spending.



Whatever the reason, the raise is needed.

The VA should be funded under the DOD. Defense is one of the few legitimate expenditure by the Federal government. Any VA benefits I have ever received I earned at Dak To in November of 1967. Welfare assholes never earned jackshit.

Most of the Federal government is a waste and the reason why we are $33 trillion in debt and the cost of our Federal government is more than the GDP of all but three other countries on earth. That is in addition to about the same amount being spent at the State and Local levels. Absolutely despicable.

 

[Edgetho]

The VA should be funded under the DOD. Defense is one of the few legitimate expenditure by the Federal government. Any VA benefits I have ever received I earned at Dak To in November of 1967. Welfare assholes never earned jackshit.

Most of the Federal government is a waste and the reason why we are $33 trillion in debt and the cost of our Federal government is more than the GDP of all but three other countries on earth. That is in addition to about the same amount being spent at the State and Local levels. Absolutely despicable.

Defense is the ONLY Constitutionally authorized function of the Federal Goobermint.

So what do dimocraps do --

Instead of using the VA to provide for Veterans, dimocrap FILTH use them to provide for future, and probably present, dimocrap scum voters --

Biden aiding illegal immigrants instead of veterans is un-American

Biden and the Democrats created the border crisis and now they are making it worse. The administration is aiding illegal immigrants by using resources the VA has to help our veterans.

www.foxnews.com

Because, well -- Because dimcraps are the scum of the Earth

 

[Jim H - VA USA]

Many of the people that do social media for an agency also do many other things, it is not their primary job. I have a friend that works for the USDA, one of his many duties in putting out tweets about upcoming surveys and the results of surveys as well as updating FB and responding comments on both. He maybe spends about 20% of his time doing this depending on the time of the year

I am highly skeptical of that.

As an example, the USDA's Office of Digital Communications has had its budget balloon from $10.8M in 2021 to $24.6M in 2024...

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/05-2024-OC.pdf (page 5-3).

An increase of 230%!

Cut the bloat! This is nonsense.

 

[Edgetho]

This is what scares dimocrap scum more than anything on Earth -- Them not being able to leach, like the parasitic scum they are, off the American Worker. They know that OMB will do even more than this guy.

Argentina's Milei cuts 5,000 government jobs, will not renew contracts

Argentinian President Javier Milei refused to renew the contracts of 5,000 employees hired by the government before his election, seeking to cut spending.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Independent thinker]

Biden signed an EO to give federal workers an average pay raise starting in January of 5.2%

Executive Order on Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay | The White House

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Statutory Pay Systems. The rates of basic pay or salaries of the statutory pay systems (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5302(1)), as adjusted...

www.whitehouse.gov

Biden signs order finalizing 5.2% pay raise for feds in 2024

The measure confirms that the federal workforce will see its largest pay increase in more than 40 years.

www.govexec.com

This is after a 4.6% pay raise in 2023...

Here are the actual pay raises federal employees will see in 2023, depending on their location

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Dec. 23 to make the average 4.6% federal pay raise official for civilian employees. But the exact raise you get depends on where you work.

federalnewsnetwork.com

"Despite the fact that federal agencies are still operating without a full budget, Biden’s order cements the pay raise for 2024. Unless Congress quibbles with Biden’s figure in another CR or in the Financial Services and General Government bill, the pay raise defers to the President’s authority."

Federal employees cleared for 5.2% pay raise in 2024

It’s the largest base pay increase since the Carter administration nearly 40 years ago.

www.federaltimes.com

Most federal workers still work from home part time...

Most Federal Employees Are Still Teleworking | FedSmith.com

The 2023 FEVS results show that most federal employees are still teleworking after the pandemic.

www.fedsmith.com

Meanwhile, social security recipients will get a 3.2% cost of living adjustment in 2024 while the costs of food, shelter and energy have skyrocketed.

Biden sure is good at spending other people's money. The bloated fed balloons further.

Well, that will increase prices even further.

 

[Jim H - VA USA]

Well, almost everyone is turning to Social Media and webpages for outreach. We are struggling where I work in finding ways to reach people, specifically students, and let people know what we are doing. Flyers and mailings and e-mail too are largely a thing of the past. I am not so sure that is a waste as much as an incompetent use of resources (and isn’t stuff like this the very definition of bureaucracy? )

USDA has

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, email newsletter, Flickr, Youtube, and RSS Feed.

At Flickr, they have 3600 followers where they post pictures of potatoes.

Pretty sure we could cut over half of their social media and not lose anything of value.

 

[Jim H - VA USA]

Are you stupid or just a lying fuck?
Most federal workers do not work from home, you fuckin clown and SS benefits were reduced by Ray-gun in the 80s and Bush in the first decade this century.

Of course you don't know any of this. Your propaganda media only tells you certain things.

I included links to back up my claims. Read.

Idiot

Your superior intellect is readily apparent from your sophisticated prose.





(Please hover over my avatar and click "ignore." Foul-mouthed incompetents with nothing to add but childish insults are not welcome in my threads. Thanks.)

 

[Rigby5]

The federal government is over twice the size it should be.
We do not need the TSA, Homeland Security, DEA, BATF, two thirds of the military, EPA, etc.
Even if the job they do is needed, they do it worse than if it were not done at all.

We should not be giving away any foreign aid when we have a $38 trillion dollar debt we are close to defaulting on.

 

[Rigby5]

Socialism!

That is the opposite of socialism.
Socialism is when the users collectively take control to do what the people want and do what the community wants cooperatively.

What we do instead is the capitalist profit motive, where the wealthy elite maintain a monopoly that is able to extort us.
Health care is a prime example.
The rest of the world gets better health care at half the price by socializing it.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Well, that will increase prices even further.

are you really this stupid?