ExecutiveOrdersEO
MemoMemorandumObama · D Quiet signal

Presidential Memorandum

Federal Employee Pay Schedules and Rates That Are Set by Administrative Discretion

President Obama extended a federal employee pay freeze through March 27, 2013, citing a continuing appropriations resolution. The original freeze, begun in 2010, had been scheduled to expire on December 31, 2012.

Federal Register Open PDF 78 FR 647

Impact dates

  1. Pay freeze policy expires; statutory pay adjustments may resume thereafter

Key directives

  • Continue pay freeze policy through March 27, 2013
  • Suspend any increases to pay systems or pay schedules covering executive branch employees
  • Forgo general increases in covered employees' rates of pay
  • OPM Director to issue implementing guidance
  • OPM Director to publish memorandum in Federal Register

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • Pay freeze continues without interruption from January 1, 2013

Near term (90d)

  • Pay freeze remains in effect through March 27, 2013

Long term

  • Potential for statutory pay adjustments after March 27, 2013, depending on congressional action

Risks & tensions

  • Extension of pay freeze may affect federal employee morale and retention
  • Dependent on subsequent congressional appropriations for post-March 2013 pay policy
  • Document explicitly disclaims creating enforceable rights, limiting legal recourse
Presidential Memorandum: Federal Employee Pay Schedules and Rates That Are Set by Administrative Discretion · Executive Orders