If the economy under President Donald Trump is so “great,” how come he just cited “serious economic conditions” to excuse cutting a pay raise for federal workers?

That’s exactly what Trump did earlier this week when he announced that due to “national emergency or serious economic conditions,” he is adjusting a scheduled 2.5 percent pay increase for federal workers to just 1 percent.

“Because of “national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare,” I view the increases that would otherwise take effect as inappropriate,” Trump claimed in a message to Congress. “We must maintain efforts to put our Nation on a fiscally sustainable course; Federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases…Specifically, I have determined that for 2021 the across-the-board base pay increase will be limited to 1.0 percent and locality pay percentages will remain at their 2020 levels. This alternative pay plan decision will not materially affect our ability to attract and retain a well‑qualified Federal workforce.”

This is a direct contradiction of his State of the Union declaration about the economy last week.

“In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America’s destiny,” Trump said. “We have totally rejected the downsizing,” Trump said at his State of the Union address last week. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never, ever going back.”

Apparently, that was a lie. If the economy is as strong as Trump claims, we could easily afford to give federal workers the pay increase they deserve and were due to receive.

And earlier this week, Trump had the gall to once again lie about the economy.

Again, a country with a strong economy does not cite “serious economic conditions” to cut a pay raise. Furthermore, Trump’s trade war is costing every American household over $1,200. The wealthy are doing well because $1,200 is mere pocket change to them, especially after they got trillions in tax cuts from Trump and Republicans in 2017. But that’s a hell of a lot of money for the average American family to lose.

Trump can claim the economy is strong all he wants, the math doesn’t lie and his own reason for cutting the pay raise clearly reveals the truth he doesn’t want Americans to know.

 

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