President Obama released his fiscal 2012 budget blueprint on Monday, and it's no surprise that it backs a pay freeze for federal workers.
In a message accompanying the budget, the president reaffirmed his and the Congress' decision to enact a two-year pay freeze for civilian federal workers starting in 2011. "The men and women who serve their fellow Americans as civilian Federal workers are patriots who work for the Nation often at great personal sacrifice; they deserve our respect and gratitude," the budget states. "But just as families and businesses across the country are tightening their belts, so too must the Federal Government."
The budget does include a 1.6 percent pay raise for members of the military, however. It also includes a variety of monthly special skills-based payments, enlistment and reenlistment bonuses and other benefits for military members.
What are your thoughts? Should Obama have also called for military members to tighten their belts and forgo a pay raise as well?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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