This from The Los Angeles Times: WASHINGTON - President Obama announced Monday that he wants to freeze pay for federal employees for the next two years, a move his team says would save more than $5 billion through 2012.

"The hard truth is, getting this budget under control is going to require some broad sacrifice, and that sacrifice must be shared by employees of the federal government," the president said. "After all, small businesses and families are tightening their belts.... Their government should, too."

The freeze would not apply to military personnel but to all other civilian employees on the federal payroll. Congress would have to approve the proposal in order for it to take effect.

The plan is part of Obama's effort to contain the $1.3-trillion federal deficit, and will be followed by more proposals for spending reductions over the next few months, White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said Monday morning.

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