Senator Introduces Bill to ‘Drain the Swamp’
By Sarah Wagner – December 19, 2024
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced a bill that would remove almost a third of federal employees from Washington, D.C.
The bill, called Decentralizing and Reorganizing Agency Infrastructure Nation-wide To Harness Efficient Services, Workforce Administration, and Management Practices (DRAIN THE SWAMP) Act calls for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to move 30% of federal agency staff outside the Washington metropolitan area.
The “new duty stations” described in the bill are to “promote geographic diversity,” including rural areas, and “ensure adequate staffing throughout the regions of the Executive agency, to promote in-person customer service.”
Federal workers remaining in the D.C. area would be required to work in person 100% of the time.
“My investigations have exposed how bureaucrats have been doing just about everything besides their job during the workday,” Ernst said. “Federal employees have shown they don’t want to work in Washington, and in the Christmas spirit, I am making their wish come true. Instead of keeping them bogged down in the swamp, I’m working to get bureaucrats beyond the D.C. beltway to remind public servants who they work for. In addition to improving government service for all Americans, we can give taxpayers an extra Christmas gift by selling off unused and expensive office buildings.”
A companion bill is being introduced in the House by Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL). Bean is also involved in the DOGE Caucus.
Ernst previously introduced the Returning SBA to Main Street Act, which moves more than a third of Small Business Administration employees outside of D.C.
Earlier this month, Ernst released a report that revealed only 6% of federal employees are working in person daily.
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