https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/trump-blocks-pay-raise-for-1-5-million-federal-workers-calls-for-no-increase-next-year

“President Trump on Thursday blocked an automatic pay raise for 1.5 million federal workers covered by the General Schedule pay system, and asked Congress to pass legislation with no increase next year.

“Federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases,” Trump wrote in a Thursday letter to congressional leaders, a formality that blocks an automatic 2.1 percent raise from taking effect in January under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act.

“I have determined that for 2019, both across‑the‑board pay increases and locality pay increases will be set at zero,” Trump wrote

Now, the matter is returned to Congress, which must reconcile House-passed legislation that does not endorse a pay raise and a Senate-passed bill that outlines a 1.9 percent average boost in pay under the General Schedule.

About 1.5 million mostly white-collar federal workers are affected by Trump’s decision. Last year, Congress approved Trump’s request for a 1.4 percent across the board raise, after he blocked what would have been a slightly larger 1.9 percent automatic boost.”