Civilian federal employees get pay frozen for two years

During the fall campaign, Republicans said that if they got control of the House, they would freeze federal hiring and freeze the pay for federal employees.

Less than a month after the election, President Barack Obama got things rolling on that promise when he announced his intention to seek a two-year pay freeze for civilian federal employees. Obama said the move would save $2 billion over the rest of this fiscal year, and $28 billion, cumulatively, over the next five years.
 
"I did not reach this decision easily," Obama said. "This is not just a line item on a federal ledger. These are people"s lives. They"re doctors and nurses who care for our veterans; scientists who search for better treatments and cures; men and women who care for our national parks and secure our borders and our skies; Americans who see that the Social Security checks get out on time, who make sure that scholarships comes through, who devote themselves to our safety. They"re patriots who love their country and often make many sacrifices to serve their country.  
 
"In these challenging times, we want the best and brightest to join and make a difference.  But these are also times where all of us are called on to make some sacrifices.  And I"m asking civil servants to do what they"ve always done -- play their part."

On Dec. 21, 2010, Congress passed a stop-gap funding bill that included the two-year pay freeze for federal civilian employees. It passed on a 193-to-165 vote in the House; and 79-16 in the Senate.

It remains to be seen if that freeze will be included in the permanent funding bills once the new Congress has convened,  or if a net federal hiring freeze on non-security employees will also be included. But even before the new Republican majority has been sworn in, this promise is very much In the Works.