[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 29, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S6546]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE

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 REPORT RELATIVE TO AN ALTERNATIVE PLAN FOR PAY INCREASES FOR CIVILIAN 
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES COVERED BY THE GENERAL SCHEDULE AND CERTAIN OTHER PAY 
                     SYSTEMS IN JANUARY 2017--PM 57

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs:

To the Congress of the United States:
  I am transmitting an alternative plan for pay increases for civilian 
Federal employees covered by the General Schedule and certain other pay 
systems in January 2017. Title 5, United States Code, authorizes me to 
implement alternative pay plans for pay increases for civilian Federal 
employees covered by the General Schedule and certain other pay systems 
if, because of ``national emergency or serious economic conditions 
affecting the general welfare,'' I view the adjustments that would 
otherwise take effect as inappropriate.
  Civilian Federal employees made significant sacrifices as a result of 
the 3-year pay freeze that ended in January 2014. Since the pay freeze 
ended, annual adjustments for civilian Federal employees have also been 
lower than private sector pay increases and statutory formulas for 
adjustments to the General Schedule for 2014 through 2016. However, we 
must maintain efforts to keep our Nation on a sustainable fiscal 
course. This is an effort that continues to require tough choices under 
current economic conditions.
  Under current law, locality pay increases averaging 28.49 percent and 
costing $26 billion would go into effect in January 2017. Federal 
agency budgets cannot sustain such increases. In my August 31, 2016, 
alternative pay plan submission, I noted that the alternative plan for 
locality payments will be limited so that the total combined cost of 
the 1.0 percent across-the-board base pay increase and the varying 
locality pay increases will be 1.6 percent of basic payroll, consistent 
with the assumption in my 2017 Budget. Accordingly, I have determined 
that under the authority of section 5304a of title 5, United States 
Code, locality-based comparability payments for the locality pay areas 
established by the President's Pay Agent, in the amounts set forth in 
the attached table, shall become effective on the first day of the 
first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2017.
  The locality-based comparability payments for the locality pay rates 
in the attached table are based on an allocation of 0.6 percent of 
payroll as indicated in my August 31, 2016, alternative pay plan for 
adjustments to the base General Schedule. These decisions will not 
materially affect our ability to attract and retain a well-qualified 
Federal workforce.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, November 29, 2016.

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