Walkinshaw Carries Forward Connolly’s Legacy with Four Federal Workforce Bills
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman James Walkinshaw (VA-11) announced that he is carrying forward four major pieces of legislation originally authored by the late Congressman Gerry Connolly to protect federal workers and strengthen the civil service.
Together, the bills safeguard merit-based hiring, protect against political manipulation, ensure fair pay, strengthen retirement security, and modernize benefits like access to IVF for federal employees — continuing Connolly’s decades-long fight for those who serve the American people.
“From administering Social Security checks to safeguarding our national security to delivering our mail, civil servants are the backbone of our federal government, providing the essential services that Americans rely on every day,” said Congressman Walkinshaw. “The late Gerry Connolly was their fiercest champion, reminding us that protecting federal workers means protecting the American people they serve. I am honored to carry forward his legacy by advancing these bills to defend the rights, pay, reproductive health care, and retirement security of those who dedicate their lives to public service.”
“At a time when Trump and his indiscriminate DOGE efforts are threatening mass firings, pay cuts, and political loyalty tests, we must send an unmistakable message: federal employees are not pawns in partisan games. They should be honored for their service to America,” added Congressman Walkinshaw.
Protecting Merit in the Civil Service from Politicization
The Saving the Civil Service Act blocks future administrations from reviving Trump’s Schedule F executive order, which threatened to replace nonpartisan experts with political loyalists. The bill ensures hiring decisions are based on merit, caps the number of political conversions, and requires transparency in personnel changes. Text of the Saving the Civil Service Act is available here.
Ensuring Fair Pay
The Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act delivers a 4.3% average pay raise for federal employees in 2026, helping the government recruit and retain the top talent needed to provide essential services that benefit the American people. Federal employees still earn nearly 25% less than private-sector workers, and pay satisfaction has dropped sharply — making it harder to sustain the workforce that ensures food safety, veterans’ care, and other critical functions.
Wages have not kept pace with rising costs. The FAIR Act helps close that gap, restoring fairness for workers and strengthening the quality of services families rely on every day. Text of the FAIR Act is available here.
Expanding Family-Building Benefits
The Family Building FEHB Fairness Act expands access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technologies (ART) by requiring the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program — the nation’s largest employer-sponsored health plan — to provide comprehensive coverage. Currently, a small number of FEHB plans cover IVF and other ART services and treatments, leaving many federal workers without consistent access or choice. This bill ensures fairness by modernizing FEHB coverage so federal employees have the support they need to build their families. Text of the Family Building FEHB Fairness Act is available here.
Guaranteeing Retirement Security
The Equal COLA Act brings long-overdue fairness to the federal retirement system by ensuring that retirees under both CSRS and FERS receive cost-of-living adjustments calculated by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). This reform eliminates the current two-tiered system and creates a more just and sustainable retirement benefits structure for all federal workers. Text of the Equal COLA Act is available here.
Each of the bills has broad support from federal employee unions and good-government organizations, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), and the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE).
“I will always stand up for the 80,000 federal employees and contractors across Fairfax — they are the backbone of our government and our community. These bills honor Gerry Connolly’s vision and protect those who dedicate their careers to serving our country,” concluded Congressman Walkinshaw.
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