The issue of the January 2017 federal employee raise, which has been largely dormant for several months, could gain new attention in the weeks ahead as Congress takes its first steps toward setting the raise for military personnel, which commonly—but not necessarily—parallels that for federal workers. President Obama in his budget proposal recommended a 1.6 percent increase for both groups; some members of Congress, backed by federal employee organizations, have proposed 5.3 percent for federal employees. In the early version of the annual DoD budget bill, the House is moving toward 2.1 percent for the military, which could create pressure to similarly boost the federal employee raise in the name of ” pay parity.” However, while the two raises often have been set at the same number in the name of parity there is no formal requirement. Also, it remains uncertain whether Congress will ultimately stick with the higher number even for military personnel, since the funds to pay the cost would have to come out of other operations.