The directive will impact almost 70,000 federal employees most of whom work at the Departments of Defense, Agriculture and Veteran Affairs, OPM said in a statement on Friday.

President Biden made supporting blue-collar workers a priority of his presidential campaign, saying strong unions and higher wages could resurrect America’s middle class while helping bridge economic and racial inequities.

Last year Biden issued an executive order raising wages of federal contract workers to US$15 an hour.

“Raising pay rates across the federal government to a minimum of US$15 per hour reflects our appreciation for the federal workforce and our values as a nation,” Kiran Ahuja, Director of the Office of Personnel Management, said in the statement.

OPM has asked agencies to implement the new wage by Jan 30, and it excludes the US Postal Service and Postal Regulatory Commission, the statement said.