{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cardin.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/maryland-and-virginia-lawmakers-write-to-president-obama-urging-fair-pay-for-civilian-federal-workers-nationwide", "Maryland and Virginia Lawmakers Write to President Obama Urging Fair Pay for Civilian Federal Workers Nationwide", "2016-12-07", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "MD", "Benjamin Cardin", "C000141", "www.cardin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 07, 2016\n\t\t\t Maryland and Virginia Lawmakers Write to President Obama Urging Fair Pay for Civilian Federal Workers Nationwide \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Maryland and Virginia lawmakers have written to President Obama in an effort to maintain pay parity between America\u2019s civilian and military public servants. U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.), Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-Va.), Congressman Steny H. Hoyer and Senator-elect Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) have called on President Obama to update his recent executive order affirming a 1.6 percent pay increase for civilians to match the 2.1 percent pay increase for military personnel included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).\r\n\u201cOur federal workforce is a critical national asset we should not take for granted,\u201d the lawmakers write. \u201cWhile we support the biggest pay increase possible for our military members, with very few exceptions we have had parity with respect to pay raises for the military and for civilian federal employees.\u201d\r\nThe text of the letter is below and at this link.\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\r\nDecember 7, 2016\r\n\r\nThe Honorable Barack H. Obama\r\nThe White House\r\n1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW\r\nWashington, DC 20500\r\n\u00a0\r\nDear Mr. President:\r\nWe anticipate that Congress will send you the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with a 2.1 percent pay increase for our servicemen and women.\u00a0 While we support the biggest pay increase possible for our military members, with very few exceptions we have had parity with respect to pay raises for the military and for civilian federal employees. The 2017 pay raise you have requested for civilian employees is 1.6 percent.\u00a0 We respectfully request, therefore, that you issue a new Executive Order seeking a 2.1 percent pay increase for all federal workers, including civilian workers.\r\nOur federal workforce is a critical national asset we should not take for granted.\u00a0 Federal workers are constantly being denigrated even as they carry out critical missions under difficult circumstances. Since 2011, federal workers have \u201ccontributed\u201d over $180 billion to deficit reduction. Pay freezes, salaries lost to the sequestration-related furlough, and higher pension contributions have hurt a largely middle class workforce that has a higher percentage of women, minorities, and veterans than the private sector workforce.\r\nFederal workers are dedicated and patriotic public servants, and many of them also serve in harm\u2019s way. Increasingly, they are asked to do more and more with less and less. That trend is likely to accelerate: President-elect Trump has promised to shrink the federal workforce substantially. And if past is prologue, we can expect that the Republican majorities in the House and Senate will pass punitive bills aimed at the collective bargaining rights, workplace conditions, civil service protections, and health care, retirement, and other benefits of those who remain. \u00a0\u00a0\r\nWe think our request is fair. We feel strongly that the principal of parity with respect to pay increases for the military and for our civilian employees should be maintained and earnestly hope that you will agree.\r\n\u00a0\r\nRespectfully,\r\n\u00a0\r\nBenjamin L. Cardin\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\nBarbara A. Mikulski\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\nMark Warner\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\nTim Kaine\r\nSteny H. Hoyer\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\nChris Van Hollen\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cardin.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/maryland-and-virginia-lawmakers-write-to-president-obama-urging-fair-pay-for-civilian-federal-workers-nationwide"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4586420729756355, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}