DRAIN THE SWAMP Act
DRAIN THE SWAMP Act
Plain Language Summary
# DRAIN THE SWAMP Act Summary **What It Would Do:** This bill would require federal agencies to relocate at least 30% of their employees away from the Washington, DC headquarters area to other locations across the country. It would also reduce agency office space in DC by 30%. The bill eliminates full-time remote work options for both relocated employees and those remaining in DC, requiring them to work in physical offices. Some agencies—including the Department of Defense, CIA, and Department of Energy—would be partially exempt from these requirements for national security reasons. **Who It Affects:** This primarily impacts federal government employees currently working at agency headquarters in the DC area, as well as those who work remotely while receiving DC-area pay adjustments.
The bill could affect tens of thousands of government workers who would need to either relocate, change their work arrangements, or potentially face other consequences. It also affects federal agencies' operations and budgets, as they would need to establish new office locations outside DC. **Current Status:** The bill was introduced in the 119th Congress by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full Senate. The bill remains in early stages of the legislative process.
CRS Official Summary
Decentralizing and Reorganizing Agency Infrastructure Nation-wide To Harness Efficient Services, Workforce Administration, and Management Practices Act or the DRAIN THE SWAMP ActThis bill relocates 30% of employees of executive agencies who are based in the Washington, DC area and reduces the office headquarters of agencies by 30%. It also ends full-time telework for relocated employees and for those who remain based in the DC area.Under the bill, each agency must relocate at least 30% of full-time employees based at the agency’s headquarters, including full-time telework employees who receive DC-area locality pay (unless telework is an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act). The bill does not apply to certain essential employees in the Executive Office of the President, the Department of Defense, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Homeland Security.In determining the new duty stations, each agency must promote geographic diversity and ensure adequate staffing throughout the regions of the agency. Compensation for relocated employees must be according to the locality pay scale for their new duty station. Agencies must provide their reduction plans to Congress within 180 days and complete the relocations within one year after the bill's enactment.Further, the Office of Management and Budget must identify at least 30% of agency headquarters' office space (i.e., real property) to sell or to cease leasing. Agency heads must complete the space reduction within two years after the bill's enactment.
Latest Action
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.