(Business Insider)
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday that cancels a planned pay increase for federal workers in 2019.
Trump previously called the raise, a 2.1% increase set to take effect in January, "inappropriate" and an unrealistic burden on the federal budget.
The order also cancels a yearly paycheck adjustment calculated in order with the region of the country where workers are posted.
When addressing lawmakers in an August letter, Trump cited his authority to adjust pay for federal employees as he sees appropriate considering "national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare."
Trump said he was pursuing the freeze because of the $25-billion price tag of the raises, though his tax reform bill was calculated to add nearly 10 times the cost of the canceled raises.
The order comes a week after the government entered a partial shutdown that has caused thousands of workers to be furloughed or working without pay. Read more
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