The president is officially planning for a pay freeze on both base and locality pay for most civilian federal employees, citing fiscal responsibility and economic conditions.
“I have determined that for 2027, base pay and locality pay for civilian federal employees will not change from the 2026 rates,” Trump wrote in his alternative pay plan letter, quietly transmitted to Congress on Wednesday. “This decision will maintain fiscal responsibility without harming the government’s ability to recruit and retain well qualified employees.”
The planned federal pay freeze makes an exception for federal law enforcement personnel, who are expected to receive a 3.8% raise starting in January. The larger raise for law enforcement is meant to improve recruitment and retention for “critical law enforcement roles,” the letter states.
Trump doesn’t want to not pay them, he just wants to pick and choose who gets paid for their work, so as to force them to do his bidding regardless of what the law says. He’d reset everyone to min wage, or even not paying them by default, if he could.