President Trump recently signed an executive order granting federal employees a 1 percent pay increase in 2021. The order does not affect locality pay rates.

Federal employees, like the rest of the country, have had a challenging year. The final FEDtalk episode of 2020 reviewed the year through the lens of some federal employee associations. Host Tony Verngetti discussed how COVID-19 changed the landscape for federal employee associations and what the future holds in 2021.

After several continuing resolutions to buy lawmakers additional negotiating time, Congress has passed a $2.3 trillion government funding and coronavirus relief package. As long as President Trump signs the measure by December 28, the federal government will not a shut down this year. The package allows for a 1 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees and includes $900 million in coronavirus relief, but the bill has been criticized for failing to take action on controversial federal workforce policies implemented by the Trump administration.