EPA special agents and investigators with internal watchdog offices won’t get President Donald Trump’s special salary bump for federal law enforcement.
Trump last month signed off on a 1 percent increase in wages for all government employees in 2026 but tasked the Office of Personnel Management to determine which “certain Federal civilian law enforcement personnel” should receive a higher pay bump of almost 4 percent. Greater pay for certain federal officers comes as the Trump administration seeks to bolster a surge in immigration enforcement across the country.
OPM has followed through, telling agency and department heads in guidance released last week that it has approved special salary rates for particular members of law enforcement. Those rates take effect Sunday and provide a 3.8 percent increase over 2025 pay for covered employees.
“These new special rates support ongoing agency hiring efforts for mission-critical law enforcement positions essential to implementing the Administration’s priorities to secure the border, enforce federal laws, and protect public safety,” OPM Director Scott Kupor said in the Dec. 31 memo.
