Congress·In Committee·S. 3823

Sen. Schatz's FAIR Act Would Give 2 Million Federal Workers a 4.1% Pay Raise

A bill to increase the rates of pay under the statutory pay systems and for prevailing rate employees by 4.1 percent, and for other purposes.

Also known as: FAIR Act

about 1 month ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Lawmakers Propose 4.1% Pay Raise for Federal Employees in 2027

Legislative Progress

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Key Points

This bill, introduced by Senator Schatz, proposes a 4.1% total pay raise for federal government employees. The increase is divided into two parts: a 3.1% across-the-board raise in base salary and an additional 1% increase for 'locality pay,' which accounts for the higher cost of living in specific areas.
The raise would apply to most federal workers, including those on the standard General Schedule pay scale and 'prevailing rate' employees, who are typically blue-collar workers in trades or crafts. If the bill becomes law, these new pay rates would take effect on January 1, 2027.
The goal of this policy is to help federal salaries keep up with inflation and stay competitive with private-sector jobs. This change would affect roughly 2 million civilian federal employees working in various government agencies across the country.

Labor EmploymentEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

State Impacts

StateScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Feb 10, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Feb 10, 2026

Introduced in Senate

Related News

5 articles

Government Executive·about 1 month ago

Dem lawmakers propose 4.1% raise for feds in 2027

Democrats in both chambers of Congress reintroduced the FAIR Act, proposing a 4.1% average pay increase for civilian federal employees in 2027. The bill, led by Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. James Walkinshaw, includes a 3.1% across-the-board raise and a 1% locality pay boost.

MeriTalk·about 1 month ago

Walkinshaw, Schatz Renew Effort to Increase Federal Pay by 4.1%

Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. James Walkinshaw introduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act to provide federal workers a 4.1% pay raise in 2027. The bill aims to keep public service careers competitive with the private sector following years of lagging wage growth.

Maui Now·about 1 month ago

Schatz proposes 4.1% pay raise for federal workers

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaiʻi introduced legislation that would give federal workers a 4.1% pay raise in 2027. The FAIR Act would boost wages for civil servants who have fallen behind their counterparts in the private sector, where workers reportedly earn 27% more on average.