; or (ii) to a covered employee in a total amount that exceeds $9,000 in any calendar year. (C) Waiver The Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior may implement a waiver on the total limitation in subparagraph (B)(ii) if the National Wildland Fire Preparedness Level reaches or exceeds level three. (D) Adjustments (i) Assessment The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior shall assess the difference between the average total amount of compensation that was paid to covered employees, by grade, in fiscal years 2023 and 2024. (ii) Report Not later than 180 days after the date that is 1 year after the effective date of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior shall jointly publish a report on the results of the assessment conducted under clause (i). (iii) Administrative actions After publishing the report required under clause (ii), the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, may, in the sole and exclusive discretion of the Secretaries acting jointly, administratively adjust the amount of premium pay paid under this subsection (or take other administrative action) to ensure that the average annual amount of total compensation paid to covered employees, by grade, is more consistent with such amount that was paid to those employees in fiscal year 2023. (iv) Congressional notification Not later than 3 days after an adjustment made, or other administrative action taken, under clause (iii) becomes final, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior shall jointly submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a notification regarding that adjustment or other administrative action, as applicable. (d) Treatment of incident response premium pay Incident response premium pay under this section— (1) is not considered part of the basic pay of a covered employee for any purpose