President Bush has turned into the Grinch. Last week, Bush announced that federal civilian workers will not receive their average 18.6 percent pay raise for 2003. They will only receive a 3.1 percent raise.

Bush said Title 5 of the United States Code allowed him to implement an alternative plan if he believed the bigger raises would be “inappropriate due to ‘national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare.’ ” He went on to say that “full statutory civilian pay increases in 2003 would interfere with our nation’s ability to pursue the war on terrorism,” according to CNN.

Meanwhile, the House and Senate voted this year to give themselves a pay raise, which is automatically given every year through a cost-of-living increase. In July, representatives voted 308-121 in favor of the $5,000 increase, which was included — but not mentioned — in the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act of 2003, for a total of $155,000 annually, according to The Boston Globe. Democratic Rep. Leonard Boswell was the only Iowa representative to vote against the measure.

Just last month, an amendment to the homeland security bill was tabled — with no debate — by a vote of 58-36 that would have blocked a pay increase for the Senate for 2003. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., had tried for a second year in a row to block the raise, saying “if there ever was a year when it wasn’t appropriate to grab a $5,000 pay raise, this was it,” according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican, voted not to table the amendment, while Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democrat, did not vote.

So federal workers’ paychecks are expendable in the name of national security, but congressional paychecks are not? Maybe our leaders should take the lead of Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl, who has turned down pay raises every year since he’s been elected in 1988.

Federal jobs can sometimes be cushy, depending on the job and the cost of living. But then factor in whether they have a spouse and kids depending on their paycheck. This was not the news that they wanted to hear going into the holiday season. Congress may provide a “locality pay” adjustment, but that will only bump their raise to 4.1 percent, according to The Washington Post.

It’s too bad that the people who are protecting us from terrorism are the ones getting the shaft. It’s been blow after blow for them since the administration has announced that it wants to allow private companies to compete for up to half of all federal jobs. The creation of the Homeland Security Department also hurt federal employees — Bush now has unprecedented power to hire, fire and move workers within the department.

It appears this year our congressional leaders will sit warmly by the fire during the holidays, while federal workers have been let down and left out in the cold.

Editorial Board:Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark, Charlie Weaver, Rachel Faber Machacha.