Last Updated: November 4, 2026 Reading Time: 6 min

The midterm results are in for both chambers: Democrats won control of the Senate and the House, the Associated Press reported. For federal employees, the election alone does not change your paycheck or your job this week. Members elected this week take office at noon on January 3, 2027. Until then the current majorities and chairs stay in place.

What the Midterm Results Change, and When

Issue Who decides Did the election change it?
December 11 funding The Congress already in office No. The deadline stands
2027 civilian pay (0% plan) The plan on file, unless a law says otherwise Not by itself
2027 law enforcement raise (3.8%) The President's letter directs it; it doesn't define who qualifies Not by itself
Defense bill (NDAA) The current Congress for now Not by itself
Collective bargaining Congress, executive action or the courts, depending on the change Not by itself
New committee chairs The new Congress, after January 3 Yes, starting in January

The current Congress keeps its majorities for about two more months, and the deadlines closest to you land in that window. Our lame-duck calendar lays out those dates.

December 11 Funding Is Still the Current Congress's Problem

The stopgap law, H.R. 6500, was signed September 2, 2026 (Public Law 119-103). Funding still runs out after December 11, and the Congress already in office has to act. The election doesn't change that deadline.

If you're planning around a possible lapse, our shutdown tracker is the page we update as this moves.

Your 2027 Raise: What a New Congress Could and Couldn't Do

The election doesn't change the 0% governmentwide plan already on file: 2027 civilian base and locality pay stay at 2026 rates unless a law says otherwise, apart from a separate 3.8% raise directed for law enforcement personnel. The letter doesn't define who qualifies for that law enforcement raise.

The pay statute doesn't require Congress to approve the plan, and it sets no date for Congress to act. Locality pay is covered by its own alternative-plan provision, and it works the same way.

So a different raise would take a new law. Congress usually sets a different raise through its annual Financial Services and General Government spending bill, according to the Congressional Research Service.

January 1 isn't shown to be a hard stop either. In 2019 a raise set by a spending law took effect back to the first pay period of January, under an order signed that March. That's a precedent, and it says nothing about what will happen for 2027.

For now, plan on current rates. Pick your grade, step and locality in our federal take-home pay calculator to see your paycheck at those rates, and read how the freeze meets higher FEHB premiums.

Collective Bargaining and the Defense Bill

Two bargaining items were in play at the latest status we could confirm, and neither was law then.

  • The Protect America's Workforce Act. The House passed a bill last December to undo the March 2025 bargaining order. The Senate would still have to pass it and the President sign it.
  • The defense bill. The House bill would bar use of DoD FY2027 funds to implement EO 14251 or following policy or guidance. It wasn't law as of September 1, and the Senate committee bill had no such section, per our July check.

As of September 1, the latest CRS status we could confirm, the defense bill wasn't law: the House had passed its version and the Senate hadn't taken up its bill.

When New Chairs Take Over

Members elected this week take office at noon on January 3, 2027. Until then the current majorities and chairs stay in place. New majorities pick committee chairs after that, and nothing is official until the new Congress organizes. Those committees set the hearing and oversight agenda on federal workforce policy.

If you're deciding whether to retire, take an offer or change a benefit, don't base it on the result alone. The election itself has not changed a rule that applies to you today, and Open Season still opens November 9 on its own calendar. Our FEHB Open Season guide has the steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the midterms change the 2027 federal pay freeze?

No. The election doesn't change the 0% governmentwide plan already on file: 2027 civilian base and locality pay stay at 2026 rates unless a law says otherwise, apart from a separate 3.8% raise directed for law enforcement personnel.

Could Congress still give federal employees a 2027 raise?

It would take a new law. The pay statute doesn't require Congress to approve the plan, and it sets no date for Congress to act. Congress usually sets a different raise through its annual Financial Services and General Government spending bill, according to the Congressional Research Service.

When does the new Congress take over?

Members elected this week take office at noon on January 3, 2027. Until then the current majorities and chairs stay in place.

Does the election change the December 11 shutdown deadline?

No. Funding still runs out after December 11, and the Congress already in office has to act.

Will the union contract cancellations be reversed now?

Not because of the election alone. The House passed a bill last December to undo the March 2025 bargaining order. The Senate would still have to pass it and the President sign it.

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