May 27, 2010 9:04AM 

# Public Favors Federal Wage Freeze 

By [Chris Edwards](https://www.cato.org/people/chris-edwards) 

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A wage freeze for federal workers is the vote winner in the House Republican [YouCut poll this week](http://republicanwhip.house.gov/YouCut/). YouCut is designed to gather citizen input online regarding which federal programs to cut.

So far, the GOP’s proposed cuts aren’t very big, and [I’ve suggested some larger ones](https://www.cato.org/2010/05/17/i-cut-spending-10/). But a good sign is that the largest cut of those offered has won the most votes two weeks in a row, suggesting that the public is eager for spending reforms.

I understand that the House will vote today on the wage freeze idea. So we will see whether or not policymakers believe in restraint for the [labor market’s elite workers](https://www.cato.org/2009/08/24/federal-pay-continues-rapid-ascent/) during a time when many private-sector workers are struggling.

##### Related Tags 

[Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy) 

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