Staff Reports
In a move that will surely raise eyebrows, President Joe Biden has given federal workers their largest pay raise in over 40 years. This decision comes at a time when many Americans are feeling the pinch of rising costs and stagnant wages, a phenomenon that has been dubbed “Bidenflation.”
Biden Gives Fed Workers Largest Pay Raise in Over 40 Years as Average Americans Struggle Financially https://t.co/mziaNwI5yf
— LeoTerrell (@TheLeoTerrell) January 2, 2024
Biden’s generous pay raise for government employees was announced on December 21st through an executive order that adjusts the rates of basic pay or salaries of the statutory pay systems. The pay raise includes a 4.7 percent across-the-board hike in basic pay for federal workers and a 5.2 percent raise for military personnel.
To add insult to injury, up to 33,300 federal employees will receive an even larger pay raise than expected due to the Biden administration’s decision to adjust locality pay areas based on inflation rates. This means that federal workers will be compensated for the very inflationary forces that Biden’s failed economic policies helped bring about. It’s a classic case of causing a problem and then trying to fix it, but only for a select few.
As American families struggle to make ends meet and businesses grapple with the challenges of the Biden economy, the federal workforce continues to grow. In fact, between December 2022 and August 2023, a staggering 81,000 new government jobs were created. With a federal workforce of almost 3 million, it’s no wonder that federal employees overwhelmingly donate to Democrats.
But while government workers enjoy a substantial pay raise, the majority of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and facing job insecurity. A survey released in September revealed that 61 percent of Americans are in this vulnerable position, including a staggering 78 percent of consumers who earn under $50,000 a year. This is the harsh reality of Bidenomics.
The impact of Biden’s economic policies goes beyond financial insecurity. Homelessness in the United States has reached record levels, with the biggest increase being seen among families. Last year alone, homelessness grew by 12 percent, the largest jump since 2007. This growing insecurity and widening pay gap have also forced many Americans who thought they could retire to return to the workforce.
Given the difficulties that average Americans are facing under the weight of Biden’s policies, it’s highly unlikely that they view this massive pay increase for government workers as a fair and just move. While federal employees receive a substantial boost, the rest of the country is left to bear the brunt of decreased pay and worsening economic conditions. The optics of this decision are certainly politically tone deaf, but it remains to be seen if voters will forget about it come the next election.
