The 1990 pay reform law has been virtually overlooked in the developing pay debate over the 2003 federal raise. The White House budget contained no discussion of that law as it proposed a 2.6 percent 2003 raise for federal employees and 4.1 percent for the military. In their comments on the raise issue, administration officials have focused on other aspects, such as the availability of within-grade increases to federal employees and the special hardships military personnel endure. However, employee organizations have not forgotten the 1990 law-the American Federation of Government Employees for example recently noted that under the law’s terms the federal-private pay gap was supposed to be virtually closed by now but that official figures show it remains about as large as in 1990. However, for now, they say the best chance for sweetening the federal raise appears to be an argument in favor of parity with the military, not an argument in favor of complying with a law that has little support in either party.