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Federal workers could see 1.9 percent pay increase in bill to avoid shutdown

WASHINGTON — Federal workers would receive a 1.9 percent pay increase under language included in legislation aimed at averting a government shutdown, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

The pay hike would be less than the 2.6 percent increase the military received in legislation that Congress passed last year.

President Donald Trump has proposed a pay freeze for federal employees. But lawmakers from the Washington area, who represent tens of thousands of federal workers, have been pushing to get them a pay increase.

The final language of the legislation to avoid the shutdown is still being worked out.

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For the pay raise to go into effect, the bill would have to be passed by the House and Senate, then receive the president’s signature.

Lawmakers are also trying to include language in the legislation that would provide back pay to federally contracted workers, related to the 35-day shutdown. The legislation is supported by lawmakers from Virginia, Maryland and D.C.

US-Iran conflict enters new phase as Saudi Arabia helps hit proxies and diplomacy stalls again

WASHINGTON (AP) — The stop-start fighting between the United States and Iran appears to have entered a new phase as Saudi Arabia has publicly joined military escalations against Tehran-backed proxies. At the same time, an already untenable diplomatic effort to end the war has faltered once again as mistrust deepens between the longtime adversaries. Despite several days of relative calm, both sides carried out military strikes in the last 24 hours that once again risk a return to all-out war — and further expansion in the region — while little is clear about what strategy, if any, American or Iranian officials have for a path forward. While President Donald Trump and his allies have spent recent days arguing that Iran is begging to return to the negotiating table, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said Tuesday that his country has made no requests to restart the diplomatic track in more than two weeks. Following a thwarted attack on the U.S. base in Jordan, Trump turned back to threats Wednesday even while sustaining the prospect of continued talks.
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