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Washington D.C. – The House of Representatives has approved a 2.6 percent pay increase for federal employees and it is now the Senate’s turn to recognize the hard work and dedication of our country’s federal workforce, National Treasury Employees Union President Tony Reardon said today.

“This increase is not just appropriate but it is overdue,” Reardon said. “Today, the House soundly rejected the president’s pay freeze, provided parity with the military and helped federal employees keep up with the rising costs of health care, housing and other daily living expenses.”

The bill, H.R. 790, was introduced by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and received NTEU’s immediate support.

Reardon sent a letter Tuesday to each member of the House asking them to support this critical legislation. That letter noted the additional financial hardships 800,000 federal employees faced, and continue to face, from the record five-week government shutdown.

“Now, after suffering through a 35-day shutdown that caused unimaginable hardship for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, their families, and their communities, it is important to ensure that employees are able to afford the increased fees and penalties that they suffered as a result,” Reardon wrote.

NTEU is also supporting a companion bill (S. 262) for a 2.6 percent increase from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced Tuesday.

“The shutdown underscored the need for keeping federal pay fair and competitive,” Reardon said. “The entire nation saw federal employees lining up at food pantries and seeking relief from mortgage companies, landlords and banks. Their pay lags dangerously behind their private-sector counterparts. I think our government can, and must, do better by its workforce.”

He added, “The reputation of the federal government as a good employer took a big hit during the shutdown. Fair pay is one way to make the government an attractive option for talented employees. Another, of course, is to never shut down the government again.”

NTEU represents 150,000 employees at 33 federal agencies and departments.