# Walkinshaw Seeks 2027 Federal Pay Raise

Rep. James Walkinshaw plans to seek a federal civilian pay raise for 2027 in legislation to fund the government beyond the continuing resolution that expires December 11, 2026—33 days from now. He favors a 4.1% increase and has described 3% as a meaningful compromise. Walkinshaw also expects Congress to revisit collective bargaining protections for more than 1 million federal employees, an effort that could continue into 2027. These are proposed legislative changes, not enacted requirements or a direct contracting opportunity.

- Federal contractors should not assume a federal employee raise would automatically change contractor compensation; the proposals concern the federal workforce.
- Agencies’ staffing, recruitment, retention, and labor-relations plans could be affected if a pay increase or collective bargaining protections are adopted.
- Contractors supporting agency operations can account for potential workforce changes in continuity and staffing assumptions, while distinguishing these proposals from current contract requirements.
- The pay proposal is tied to funding legislation before the December 11 continuing-resolution expiration; the collective bargaining issue may extend into 2027.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Topics:** Policy
**Published:** November 08, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Congress (Congress)
- U.S. House of Representatives (House)
- U.S. Senate (Senate)

### Key Quotes
> So if we can get 3%, that would be a huge improvement over 0%.
> — James Walkinshaw, U.S. Representative

> So we’ll need four Republicans, probably, to support that in the Senate and I think there’s a path to doing that.
> — James Walkinshaw (U.S. Representative)

### Sources
- [Walkinshaw to push for federal pay raise in lame duck spending talks - Government Executive](https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2026/11/walkinshaw-push-federal-pay-raise-lame-duck-spending-talks/417103) - Government Executive
- [Template for encouraging action on federal pay](https://www.reddit.com/r/FedEmployees/comments/1xq9suv/template_for_encouraging_action_on_federal_pay) - reddit-fedemployees
- [Why are federal employees forgotten in the blue tsunami?](https://www.reddit.com/r/FedEmployees/comments/1xqmt73/why_are_federal_employees_forgotten_in_the_blue) - reddit-fedemployees