"Absolutely Repulsive": After $1.5 Trillion Tax Giveaway to the Rich, Trump Cancels Modest Pay Raise for Federal Workers

"President Trump pushed through a tax scam that gave unprecedented handouts to billionaires and corporations—but believes it's too expensive to pay hardworking federal workers a reasonable wage."

By Jake Johnson

August 31, 2018 "Information Clearing House" -  Suddenly expressing deep concern for "fiscal sustainability" just months after signing a tax bill that is expected to add $1.9 trillion to the national debt over the next ten years, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is canceling pay raises for nearly 1.8 million federal workers because he claims "federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases."

The president's abrupt move—which comes less than a week after a federal court struck down his attempt to undermine federal workers' right to bargain collectively—was met with widespread condemnation by progressive lawmakers and labor activists, who argued that the $25 billion Trump claimed the pay raises would cost is a drop in the bucket compared to the GOP's enormous gifts to the rich.

"President Trump pushed through a tax scam that gave unprecedented handouts to billionaires and corporations—but believes it's too expensive to pay hardworking federal workers a reasonable wage," wrote Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). "What an insulting way to mark Labor Day."

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Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) similarly ripped the president's decision to cancel planned pay raises after handing billionaires huge tax breaks as a "slap in the face" to workers.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)—which filed the lawsuit that defeated Trump's anti-union directive last week—noted in a statement that the president's move completely ignores the fact that federal workers "are worse off today financially than they were at the start of the decade. Federal employees have had their pay and benefits cut by over $200 billion since 2011, and they are earning nearly five percent less today than they did at the start of the decade."

Trump's decision to cancel the modest 2.1 percent pay raises that were set to go into effect in 2019 comes as wages for most workers are either completely stagnant or declining. Meanwhile, corporate profits are soaring to record levels, the stock market is booming, and CEO pay remains sky-high.

According to West Wing Reports, 80 percent of the workers affected by the pay freeze live outside of Washington, D.C., and many live in red and swing states:

This article was originally published by "Common Dreams" -

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