Davis Applauds President's 3 Percent Civilian, Military Pay Increase Proposal
President's FY08 Budget Proposes Pay Parity, 3 Percent Increase for Civilian and Military Employees

February 05, 2007

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), ranking member on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement today regarding the President's proposal to increase both civilian and military pay by 3 percent in fiscal year 2008:

"I am extremely pleased that President Bush has acknowledged the important role federal employees play in protecting the homeland, supporting our troops abroad, fighting crime, battling disease and otherwise providing services to the American people. I'm pleased to know we won't have to spend the next six months fighting for pay parity on behalf of federal employees."

"Instead, we can continue to focus on making the federal government a top-notch employer that can compete for talent with the private sector. Understanding the importance of federal employees and rewarding them accordingly is central to this effort."

"Less than three years ago, Frank Wolf, Steny Hoyer, Jim Moran, myself and others moved a resolution to the House floor in support of pay parity. That resolution, in 2004, passed by a vote of 299-126. We've made tremendous progress in the fight for pay parity when the president -- two years in a row -- proposes pay parity in his budget proposal that he submits to Congress."

The president's fiscal 2008 budget proposal calls for a 3 percent pay raise for both federal civilian employees and members of the armed forces. Civilians and members of the military both received a 2 percent increase in FY 2007. Rep. Davis said he is confident that Congress will support the President's pay parity proposal.