President Joseph Biden has formally announced his intention to raise the pay of civilian federal employees under the General Schedule (GS) beginning on January 1, 2023.

In the White House's fiscal year 2023 budget request, the Biden administration is projected to propose the largest pay raise for federal employees in 15 years at 4.6 percent.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued guidance on how agencies should ensure civilian federal employees earn at least $15 per hour, modifying both the General Schedule (GS) and Federal Wage Service (FWS) pay scales.

In an executive order, President Biden has approved an average 2.7 percent pay raise for federal civilian employees on December 22, 2021. The increase will be reflected in the first pay period of 2022 and restores pay parity between civilian employees and military personnel.

The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government advanced a draft bill that makes no mention of a federal pay raise for General Schedule employees. Thus, the legislation effectively endorses President Biden’s proposed 2.7 percent average federal civilian pay raise.

The Biden administration recently announced that it would extend Title 5 federal employee protections to workers at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). This includes granting them collective bargaining rights, access to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and aligning their wages with the General Schedule.

The White House released President Joe Biden’s full fiscal year 2022 budget on Friday. The budget proposal includes a pay raise for federal employees and pledges to focus on strengthening the workforce.

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.