Yesterday, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) and U.S. Representative Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) introduced a package of bills known as the “DOGE Acts” to hold the federal government accountable for managing taxpayer dollars. The DOGE Acts coincide with President-elect Trump’s recently announced Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE), which will be led by entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
“The American people have had enough of outsized bureaucracy and wasteful government spending. 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,” said Senator Blackburn.
“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with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to rein in bloated budgets, relocate federal agencies out of Washington, DC, reform outdated bureaucracies, and ensure bureaucrats actually work for their pay.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,” said Representative Tenney.
THE DOGE ACTS
The DOGE Acts include the separate pieces of legislation below:
The Federal Freeze Act would help address out-of-control spending and save taxpayer dollars by implementing a one-year freeze on increases in federal civilian employees’ salaries, directing federal agency heads to establish a cap on the number of workers that can be employed over a period of three years, and decreasing the number of employees at federal agencies. This legislation would exempt certain employees deemed necessary to serve the interests of law enforcement, national security, public safety, and public health services. Click here for bill text.
The Commission to Relocate the Federal Bureaucracy Actwould decentralize the power held by unelected bureaucrats in Washington D.C. by establishing a plan to relocate non-national security related agencies to states across the country based on financial efficiency, existing infrastructure, and related industries. Click here for bill text.
The Federal Employee Performance and Accountability Act would establish a performance-based pay structure that bolsters government efficiency by incentivizing high performance among federal employees, exempting agencies deemed necessary for national security or public safety. Click here for bill text.
The Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems (SHOW UP) Act would require federal agencies to return to pre-pandemic telework levels within 30 days and would prevent federal agencies from permanently expanding telework without submitting to Congress telework plans certified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This legislation passed the House last year. Click here for bill text.
1%, 2%, and 5% Across-the-Board Spending Cuts: This three-bill package would help balance the budget and cut bloated spending by instituting across-the-board rescissions of 1%, 2%, and 5% non-security discretionary appropriations made available for Fiscal Year 2026 and every fiscal year thereafter. These bills would exclude the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, and National Nuclear Security Administration. Read more about this legislation here.
