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This bill would require federal executive branch agencies to look for positions they think are unnecessary, report those jobs to Congress, and make plans to shrink or reorganize parts of the agency. It would also sharply limit hiring, so agencies could replace only one worker for every four who leave, until the total number of employees drops to 80% of the current level. The bill is meant to reduce the size and cost of the federal workforce, while still allowing agencies to protect jobs tied to important public and security needs.
- Within 30 days after the bill becomes law, each executive branch agency would have to review all of its positions and send Congress a report identifying jobs that are seen as redundant or unnecessary.
- After that, agencies could hire no more than one new employee for every four employees who retire, transfer, or otherwise leave.
- This hiring limit would stay in place until the agency’s total workforce falls to 80% of its size on the day the bill becomes law.
- Each agency would also have to decide which parts of the agency should be eliminated or combined and create a plan to do that through a reduction in force or reorganization. Jobs or parts of agencies that are critical to national security, public safety, law enforcement, or immigration enforcement would be exempt if the agency head says so.
Official Summaries
Reducing Expensive Departments & Unnecessary Civil Employees Act or the REDUCE Act
This bill limits federal hiring and requires each federal agency to establish plans to eliminate or combine components of the agency. The bill does not apply to positions or agency components that are critical to national security, public safety, law enforcement, or immigration enforcement.
Specifically, a federal agency may not appoint more than one employee for every four employees that retire, transfer, or separate from such agency. This limitation does not apply after the agency has reduced the number of its employees by 20%.
The bill also requires each agency to determine which agency components should be eliminated or combined and develop a plan to bring this into effect through reorganization or reduction in force.
Each agency must conduct a review of each position within the agency to identify positions that are redundant or unnecessary and report the results of this review to Congress.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1511 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1511
To direct executive branch agencies to conduct a review of redundant
positions, to limit civil service hiring, to require agency plans for
reductions in force or reorganization, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 21, 2025
Ms. Van Duyne introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct executive branch agencies to conduct a review of redundant
positions, to limit civil service hiring, to require agency plans for
reductions in force or reorganization, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Reducing Expensive Departments &
Unnecessary Civil Employees Act'' or the ``REDUCE Act''.
SEC. 2. REVIEW OF REDUNDANT AGENCY ACTIVITIES AND POSITIONS; LIMITATION
ON HIRING; AGENCY PLANS FOR RIF OR REORGANIZATION.
(a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the head of each agency of the executive branch
of the Federal Government shall review each position within such agency
and submit a report to Congress on which such positions are redundant
and unnecessary.
(b) Hiring Limitation.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, the head of each such agency may appoint no more than 1
employee for every 4 employees of the agency retiring,
transferring, or otherwise separating from the agency after the
date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) Application.--The limitation in paragraph (1) shall
apply until the date that the total number of employees at an
executive branch agency is equal to or less than 80 percent of
the total number of such employees at such agency on the date
of the enactment of this Act.
(c) RIF or Reorganization Plan.--The head of each such agency shall
determine which agency components should be eliminated or combined with
another component, and establish a plan to so eliminate or combine (as
the case may be) such components under a reduction in force or through
a reorganization.
(d) Exception.--This section shall not apply to any position or
agency component that is critical to national security, public safety,
law enforcement, or immigration enforcement, as determined by the head
of each executive branch agency.
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