The House of Representatives has voted to continue a wage freeze for the third straight year. Supporters of the freeze say it would save $26 billion dollars. Some have also proposed that federal employees should pay more for their pensions in a trade for the payroll tax cut and federal unemployment benefits. The proposed pay increase for 2013 would have been 0.5%.
See "House votes to continue federal worker pay freeze", The Associated Press, CBS News, February 1, 2012