Sen. Schatz introduces FAIR Act to give federal workers a 7.4% raise in 2025

US Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaiʻi joined in introducing the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates or FAIR Act, a bill that would provide federal employees with a 7.4% pay increase in calendar year 2025. Schatz previously introduced similar legislation in the 115th, 116th, and 117th Congresses.

According to the Federal Salary Council, Federal employees on average earned 27.54% less in 2023 than their counterparts in the private sector. In addition, the 2023 Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey governmentwide management report found that over the last three years, pay satisfaction declined from 67% to 57%.

Those backing the legislation say a lack of competitive pay hurts the recruitment, retention and quality of the civil service.  

Under the Biden Administration, federal employees had a 4.6% pay raise in 2023 and a 5.2% raise in 2024. “Nonetheless, federal employee pay increases have failed to keep pace with rising labor and living costs,” according to a news release from Sen. Schatz.

“The FAIR Act’s wage adjustment restores years of lost wage increases for federal employees by ensuring that federal employees, who serve in all 50 states on behalf of constituents in every congressional district, earn an average pay increase of 7.4%,” the release stated.

“Whether inspecting our food, conducting medical research, or caring for our veterans, federal workers play an important role in our everyday lives and deserve pay which reflects that,” said Sen. Schatz. “After years of pay freezes, our bill gives these dedicated public servants a much-deserved raise.”

Schatz joined US Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) in introducing the FAIR Act

It is cosponsored by US Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i).