The Hill News

President Obama took a page out of Speaker-designate John Boehner's book when he called on Monday for a temporary freeze on federal civilian pay.

Obama announced a two-year halt on worker pay increases in an effort to reduce deep budget deficits. The cuts are projected to save $2 billion for the remainder of the fiscal year and could save $28 billion over the next five years.

{mosads}But Boehner (R-Ohio) went further earlier this month when he called for a federal hiring moratorium in addition to a freeze on civilian pay.

"There ought to be a freeze on the hiring of new federal employees, and frankly, we ought to freeze the pay," Boehner said on Nov. 10.

Following the midterm election in which Democrats lost control of the House to Republicans, a loss Obama described as a "shellacking," he pledged to work with Republicans moving forward, but named few specific policy areas where they agree.

Just over a week after the election, Boehner bolstered his idea by saying that the average federal worker earns more than twice as much as his average civilian counterpart.

The claim is based on a report that uses government data to show that federal workers on average take in more than $123,000 a year in salary and benefits compared to just over! $61,000 for a private-sector worker.