# Congress Considers Federal Pay Raise

A November 5, 2026, discussion urged federal employees to contact House and Senate members as next-year federal pay policy is being developed, noting that congressional action is central to setting pay scales and that OPM implements legally established scales. No specific raise or enacted change is identified. A commenter’s estimate that federal employees are underpaid by 24% is unsubstantiated, and a shutdown-related bargaining strategy is presented only as speculation.

- Federal agencies and contractors supporting government work may want to account for potential changes in federal workforce compensation when assessing staffing and labor-market assumptions; the signal does not establish a specific increase or timeline.
- Organizations involved in federal workforce planning should distinguish the discussion from enacted policy and avoid treating the 24% estimate or shutdown speculation as verified planning inputs.
- The quoted comment says policy discussions are expected to take shape before January 3; no formal deadline or specific legislative action is identified.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Published:** November 05, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. House of Representatives
- U.S. Senate
- Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- U.S. federal government
- House Committee on the Judiciary

### Key Quotes
> Those who got elected are working to hit the ground running. The policies are getting discussed now and will be mostly.put together before Jan 3rd.
> — Commenter

### Sources
- [11.5.26 The Case for a Federal Pay Raise](https://www.reddit.com/r/FedEmployees/comments/1xovwc2/11526_the_case_for_a_federal_pay_raise) - reddit-fedemployees