Joe Biden Gives Federal Bureaucrats Biggest Pay Hike in Four Decades

President Joe Biden signed an order December 22 giving federal bureaucrats the largest pay hike in four decades, when Jimmy Carter was president.

Close to 2.2 million federal bureaucrats will receive pay increases averaging 5.2 percent, starting around mid-January for most. This is the largest increase since 1980, under President Jimmy Carter, when he increased average federal salaries by 9.1 percent.

The U.S. military will receive a similar increase in the $866 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that Congress signed before leaving for its Christmas break.

The Washington Post reported that Republicans have frequently tried to fight back against Democrat moves to increase federal bureaucrats’ salaries; however, the GOP was distracted by an internal battle over who should be the next Speaker of the House.

The Post continued:

The generous raise is likely to continue the partnership that the Biden White House has forged with the unions representing federal workers. The administration has supported continued telework policies across most of the government that accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic, and hiring has intensified at many agencies.

Biden has also taken several steps to stamp out — and more recently, prevent — a policy ordered by former president Donald Trump that could have enabled him to fire tens of thousands of federal workers and replace them with loyalists.

While federal bureaucrats will receive their, on average, 5.2 percent pay hike, employers plan to offer private citizens an average salary increase of 4 percent for 2024.

CBS News noted:

First, although inflation is no longer through the roof, Americans continue to grapple with higher costs for groceries, rent, health care and other staples. The typical American household must spend an additional $11,434 annually just to maintain their standard of living compared with three years ago, just before inflation soared to 40-year highs, according to a recent analysis of government data from Republican members of the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee.

…

Second, the labor market remains tight after millions of people exited the workforce during the pandemic. The battle for talent among employers remains fierce, requiring competitive merit increases to retain good workers.

“While inflation is much less than it was a year ago, there is still pressure on wages,” Tom McMullen, a senior client partner with Korn Ferry, said.

Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.