Donald Trump has been crowing non-stop, even before he assumed office, over how great the economy is doing because of his actions. Or anticipated actions. Or promised actions. Or something. The market is up to record levels! Employment is up to record levels! Confidence levels are up to record levels!
Pay raises? Well, we can’t let those be quite so up.
President Trump sent a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday announcing his intention to cut pay raises for civilian government workers. In the letter, Trump cited his authority in times of “national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare” to make adjustments to the 2018 pay schedule for federal employees.
This is, apparently, a time of “national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare.” You’d never know that from anything Trump says on a day to day basis.
Federal government employees had been scheduled to receive a 1.9% increase. Trump is cutting that back to 1.4%. Outside of Washington, DC, the average will be more like 0.5%. Military personnel will still get a planned 2.1% raise.
It doesn’t affect Trump, directly, of course, as he is independently wealthy (and getting wealthier), and donates his presidential salary to appropriate photo ops.
We must maintain efforts to put our Nation on a sustainable fiscal course. A pay increase of this magnitude is not warranted, and Federal agency budgets could not accommodate such an increase while still maintaining support for key Federal priorities such as those that advance the safety and security of the American people.
Those key Federal priorities at the moment seem to be putting together a massive tax cut package for top income earners and businesses (including Trump himself, who will net much more than a 1.4% income increase). Paid for in part, it seems, by cutting the pay of workers expected to carry out whatever other functions Trump wants to get done.
So is this just simply a way to eke out a few more dollars for tax cuts? A pandering to his “government bad, so screw the people who work there” base of support? Revenge on government workers not being as enthusiastic about his orders as he’d like? A desire to make working for the public that much less attractive? Well, heck, why should a True Leader pick just one?
