Trump Plans 2027 Federal Civilian Pay Freeze While Troops Could Receive Raises Up to 7%

White House alternative pay plan would hold most civilian federal salaries at 2026 levels while directing larger increases toward junior enlisted troops, military personnel and federal law enforcement as the administration prioritizes readiness and recruitment.

WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump is moving to freeze base and locality pay for most civilian federal employees in 2027 while directing substantially larger raises toward military personnel and federal law-enforcement officers, creating one of the sharpest pay divides between segments of the federal workforce in recent years.

Under an alternative pay plan transmitted to Congress, most civilian federal employees covered by the General Schedule and certain other pay systems would receive no increase in either base or locality pay in 2027.

Military personnel, meanwhile, would receive raises ranging from 5% to 7% depending on rank, with the largest percentage increases going to junior enlisted service members.

Federal law-enforcement personnel would receive a targeted 3.8% compensation increase under a separate process administered by the Office of Personnel Management.

The White House says the differentiated approach reflects competing priorities: limiting federal spending while directing additional compensation toward military readiness and hard-to-fill law-enforcement positions.

The plan is scheduled to take effect in January 2027, although Congress retains the ability to intervene, and final federal civilian salary tables are traditionally formalized by presidential executive order near the end of the year.