Trump proposes freezing most federal salaries while boosting law-enforcement pay by 3.8%

President Trump formally requested that most federal employees receive no pay increase for the 2027 pay year, keeping salaries at 2026 levels, in a letter addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson. He justified the freeze by citing inflation that rose from 2.8% to 3.3% since the previous administration and claimed it would preserve fiscal responsibility without harming recruitment. Conversely, Trump instructed the Office of Personnel Management to grant a 3.8% raise to federal law-enforcement staff for the second consecutive year to boost hiring and retention.

The freeze stems from his fiscal 2027 budget, which omitted compensation changes, leading the Office of Management and Budget to read the omission as a planned freeze. The House’s current spending bills effectively endorse the proposal, but the Senate has not yet presented its appropriations draft. Historically, presidents use alternative pay plans, and Congress can override such proposals during the appropriations process.