CHANGE: Trump cancels pay raises for almost 2 million federal workers.

“We must maintain efforts to put our nation on a fiscally sustainable course, and federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases,” the president wrote in a letter to congressional leaders.

Under Trump’s policy, roughly 1.8 million people wouldn’t get an automatic pay boost next year, including Border Patrol and ICE agents.

That stance puts vulnerable GOP lawmakers representing northern Virginia — home to tens of thousands of federal workers — in the political crosshairs. And it sets up an all-but-certain funding fight with Congress next month, as party leaders attempt to reach a sweeping agreement to keep the government open before the start of the next fiscal year on Oct. 1.

The deal used to be that Federal workers traded high pay for virtually guaranteed job security. Now they get better pay than almost anyone else, automatic pay raises most years, and they’re not only virtually un-fireable, but can’t or won’t be held to account even for criminal activity. And at least at the top echelons, have developed an attitude problem to go with their perceived invincibility.

All this has led to well-deserved outrage out here in flyover country, which as best as I can recall has a lot more seats than even northern Virginia.