President Barack Obama has proposed freezing the pay of federal government employees for the next two years, in an effort to show that the administration is trying to rein in the budget deficit.
Monday’s announcement came just one day before the president will meet the newly elected Republican Congressional leaders in an effort to forge a consensus over thorny fiscal issues, including whether the Bush-era tax cuts should be extended beyond the end of this year.
This will be the first of a series of difficult negotiations between the White House and strengthened Republicans in Congress, many of whom campaigned on cutting government spending.