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Washington, D.C.—The leader of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) today urged members of the House of Representatives to reject an attempt to extend the lengthy pay freeze currently impacting the nation’s federal workforce.

In a letter to representatives, NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley called for a ‘no’ vote on H.R. 273, introduced by Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), that would cancel a scheduled raise of 0.5 percent in late March under current law. House leaders have scheduled a vote on the DeSantis bill for next week.

Federal workers have been under a pay freeze dating to the beginning of 2011.

“A more than two-year pay freeze, constant threats of government shutdowns and furloughs, working with fewer resources because of budget cuts—these are things that federal employees live with every day,” President Kelley wrote.

She added: “Yet, they continue to provide the vital services our citizens depend on. It is past time to allow them the tiny pay raise this bill would eliminate.”

The NTEU leader emphasized that federal employees already have contributed $103 billion to deficit reduction through the lengthy pay freeze and by increased contributions to retirement for new employees.

“No other group has been singled out this way,” she told representatives.

NTEU is the nation’s largest independent union of federal employees, representing 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.