Obama Ends Federal Pay Freeze; Congress Still Must Act

President Barack Obama called for a 1 percent pay increase for federal employees in two letters he sent to Congress Friday afternoon.

The letters, which were nearly identical, applied to both members of the uniformed services and civilian federal employees covered by the General Schedule.

"Civilian federal employees have already made significant sacrifices as a result of a three-year pay freeze," Obama wrote. "As our country continues to recover from serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare, however, we must maintain efforts to keep our nation on a sustainable fiscal course."
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