Also, North Country congressman says president's new defense strategy won't affect Fort Drum, and gun owndership among women is at a record high.
View full sizePresident Barack Obama has a quiet lunch Friday at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., with a small group of supporters who were winners of his re-election campaign's "Lunch with Barack" fundraising sweepstakes. At right is Val Grossmann, a postal worker from Westminster, Colo.From The Associated Press:
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Obama administration official says the White House is proposing a 0.5 percent raise for civilian federal employees in its 2013 budget.
If Congress approves the measure, it would mark the first pay increase for federal workers since the two-year freeze President Barack Obama ordered in 2010.
Republican lawmakers have suggested extending the freeze for federal workers as one way to pay for a full-year extension of payroll tax cuts. A short-term, two-month extension of the tax cut is due to expire at the end of February.
The official says the White House notified agencies of the proposal Friday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because a formal announcement has not been made.
Related stories:
» US ended year with a surge of hiring, adding 200,000 jobs; unemployment rate at 8.5 [The Washington Post]
» U.S. gains 200,000 jobs in December [MarketWatch]
» Economy: U.S. Payrolls Beat Forecasts as Unemployment Falls [Bloomberg Businessweek]
» Optimistic jobs report masks persistent weaknesses [MarketWatch]
» The Winners and Losers in Today's Jobs Report [Bloomberg Businessweek]
In other news:
» Rep. William Owens: Obama's new defense strategy won’t hurt Fort Drum [Watertown Daily Times]
» Walmart employee from Fulton caught allegedly using stolen gift card [WSYR-TV Channell 9]
» Gun ownership among women is at record high [CNYcentral.com]
» Utica police union considers filing lawsuit against Utica Phoenix weekly over accusation of planting evidence [Utica Observer-Dispatch]
» Binghamton University cancels deer kill for January; state judge says college must conduct environmental review [pressconnects.com]
» Members of Congress wait for New York to redraw district lines [centralny.ynn.com]
» Troy High student nearly sent to jail for missing too many days of school [Albany Times Union]
» Woman accused of trying to smuggle drugs into Chenango County Jail [CNYcentral.com]