In defiance to the administration's support of the federal workforce to provide a meager 2.9 percent raise for civilian employees next year, and a 3.4 percent raise for those in the military, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill that would increase civilian federal employees' pay by 3.9 percent in 2009.
The goal of these increases is to provide for a cost of living adjustment as well as make military pay commensurate with civilian pay for similar jobs. While the increase sounds nice, it hasn't been signed into law yet, because the Congressional Budget is far from being finalized, and if you recall how the process went this past year, don't count on seeing it until February.
Hopefully though, Congress and a lame-duck President can get their work accomplished quickly and prevent unnecessary inconvenience to families.
Of course, we all realize that with the increasing costs of fuel, food, energy, and housing this 3.9 percent increase will really be a small pay cut, but that's a topic for another day.
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