Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) previously announced plans to introduce a package of bills known as the DOGE Acts as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) being led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
While DOGE might sound like a federal agency, it is not. Rather, it is an advisory commission announced by President-elect Donald Trump for his second term.
Its purpose is to recommend how to streamline the federal government by reducing inefficiency, cutting federal spending, and downsizing government operations. This includes “dismantling government bureaucracy, slashing excess regulations, cutting wasteful expenditures, and restructuring federal agencies.”
DOGE is not a formal government department that requires Congressional approval to be established. It will advise the White House and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Its objectives include identifying and eliminating wasteful, fraudulent, or unnecessary spending, with a particular focus on defense spending. Elon Musk has suggested potential savings could be as high as $2 trillion from the federal budget.
Blackburn introduced the DOGE Acts on Wednesday. Companion legislation has been introduced in the House by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R-NY). Most of the bills have direct implications for federal employees.
Blackburn said in a statement, “The DOGE Acts are the first step to achieving government efficiency by requiring federal employees to get back in the office, moving federal agencies into the heartland of America, cutting bloated federal spending across the board, and freezing federal hiring and salaries until we can rightsize the federal government.”
Tenney said in a statement:
Under President Trump’s leadership and a Republican-controlled Congress, we are determined to cut wasteful government spending and reduce costs for hardworking Americans. Congress is ready to collaborate with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to rein in bloated budgets, relocate federal agencies out of Washington, DC, reform outdated bureaucracies, and ensure bureaucrats actually work for their pay. The DOGE Acts embody these priorities, serving as a bold first step in advancing the incoming Trump Administration’s ‘Make America Efficient Again’ agenda.
The legislation that comprises the DOGE Acts is outlined below.
The DOGE Acts
Federal Freeze Act
This bill would require a one-year freeze on pay increases for federal employees and direct agencies to cap their workforces over a three-year period, thereby decreasing the size of the federal workforce. The legislation would exempt certain employees deemed necessary to serve the interests of law enforcement, national security, public safety, and public health services.
Commission to Relocate the Federal Bureaucracy Act
This bill (S. 5486) would establish a commission to study relocating non-national security federal agencies outside of Washington, DC based on financial efficiency, existing infrastructure, and related industries.
The Federal Employee Performance and Accountability Act
This bill (S. 5479) would establish a pay for performance system for certain federal employees. There would be exemptions for national security or public safety.
A tiered salary increase structure would be established with three tiers:
- Tier 1: “Exceeds expectations” – Employees who significantly exceed established performance metrics could get pay raises of up to 10%, bonuses, and non-monetary awards such as flexible scheduling, telework options, technology upgrades or parking options
- Tier 2: “Meets expectations” – Agencies could not adjust the pay of employees in this category
- Tier 3: “Below expectations” – For employees who fail to meet established performance metrics, agencies would be required to cut their pay by 10% and provide training or develop opportunities to assist employees in improving their performance
Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems (SHOW UP) Act
This bill has been introduced previously and would roll the federal government’s telework policy back to what was in place on December 31, 2019, as well as require the head of each federal agency to submit a study to Congress detailing the impact to the agency’s performance on expanded use of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic in areas such as impacts to the agency’s mission and increased costs from unused office space or incorrect locality pay. It passed in the House last year.
Across the Board Spending Cuts
This is a group of three bills that would cut federal spending by 1%, 2%, and 5% via spending cuts in FY 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter. They would exclude the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, and National Nuclear Security Administration.
Although these bills have virtually no chance of passing in the remaining days of the current Congress, they do illustrate what could be on the agenda next year.
