President Trump is going to study the issue of federal employee remuneration over the Labor Day long weekend, despite moving Thursday to stop an automatic pay raise for 1.5 million workers next year going into effect.
“I’m going to study that over the weekend,” Trump said during an event marking the signing of an retirement security executive order in Charlotte, N.C. “It’s a good time to study it — Labor Day. Let’s see how they do next week. But a lot of people were against it. I’m going to take a good hard look over the weekend.”
In a letter Thursday to Congress, Trump implored lawmakers to stop the 2.1 percent increase due to occur in January under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act.
“Federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases,” Trump wrote.
The House is working to reconcile its legislation that does not include the salary boost with the Senate’s proposal incorporating a 1.9 percent average jump under the General Schedule pay system.
Trump also drew scrutiny Friday for joking during his address that the signing could have been confused for a campaign-style rally given the number of politicians and news outlets present.
“This was just supposed to be a quick little signing, in and out. They’re going crazy when I introduce all you guys because they end up saying, this is like a political event,” Trump said referring to reporters.
“But that’s okay, Dan. We’ll take it, right?” he continued to Dan Forest, North Carolina’s lieutenant governor. “And you don’t have to pay for it either. That’s all right too.”
Funding details for the signing, an official White House occasion, were not immediately available.
