Congressman Andy Harris Votes for Federal Pay Freeze

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. voted for an extension of the pay freeze on all federal civilian employees when he voted for H.R. 273 today. The bill would continue to freeze pay adjustments through December 31, 2013. The freeze includes Members of Congress.

Without this legislation, the current freeze on pay adjustments would expire on March 27, 2013. The legislation is in response to President Obama’s Executive Order #13635 that leads to an automatic .5 percent increase in pay for all federal civilian employees. President Obama’s Executive Order would cost taxpayers nearly $11 billion over ten years. Of note, this bill does not limit merit based pay increases or pay for federal employees in the military.

Over the last decade, the average federal civilian salary has increased 62 percent – from $51,518 to $83,679 while the average private sector salary was only $51,986 in 2010. With benefits factored in, total compensation for federal employees is $126,141 compared to $62,757 in the private sector.

“At a time when our country faces a national debt of over 16 trillion dollars, giving federal employees an automatic pay increase does not make sense,” said Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. “Hardworking taxpayers all over Maryland are having to cut back and prioritize their budgets, so government needs to cut back as well. The average federal civilian salary has increased 62% over the last decade, which is nearly twice the private sector average. Increasing federal pay without regard to merit or promotion is just not responsible.”

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