FAIR Act
Congress Proposes 2026 Pay Raise for Federal Workers, Including 3.3% Base Pay Increase and 1% Locality Boost
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Would raise base pay for many federal employees by 3.3% in calendar year 2026.
- Would also raise pay for federal “prevailing rate” (wage-grade) workers by 3.3% for fiscal year 2026.
- Adds a 1% increase to locality pay in 2026, which affects pay based on where you work.
- If passed, this would increase federal payroll costs and take-home pay for eligible federal workers.
- Main impact is on federal employees and their families; it does not change private-sector wages directly.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articles
Trump intends to give feds 1% pay raise with some law enforcement officers getting more
Covers the Administration’s alternative pay plan for January 2026 and explicitly contrasts it with the FAIR Act’s proposed 4.3% average raise.
Democrats introduce bills to provide feds 4.3% average pay raise in 2026, standardize retiree COLAs
Direct coverage of the FAIR Act’s proposed 3.3% across-the-board increase plus ~1% locality pay, and context on prospects in Congress.
Democrats introduce FAIR Act to raise federal pay in 2026
Brief item on the FAIR Act proposing a 4.3% pay increase beginning January 2026 and notes the bill’s history of limited action.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
FAIR Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(16)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.