"In the case of federal civilian employees, this will be the first cost-of-living adjustment since 2010, and given that these hardworking public servants have already contributed nearly $114 billion toward deficit reduction and some were furloughed as a result of the shutdown and the sequester, it is long overdue," Hoyer said in a statement. "As the economy improves after the most serious downturn in decades, this increase is the right decision and correctly honors the concept of pay parity that I have long supported."