Sen. Joni Ernst Introduces Bill To Relocate Federal Workers

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks on Oct. 18, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Ernst was choking on food during a luncheon when fellow Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., performed the Heimlich maneuver o

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who heads the Senate Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus, has put forth a new bill aimed at decentralizing the federal workforce currently centralized in the Washington, D.C., area. The proposed legislation, known as the 'Decentralizing and Re-organizing Agency Infrastructure Nationwide To Harness Efficient Services, Workforce Administration, and Management Practices Act' or DRAIN THE SWAMP, seeks to relocate approximately 30% of federal agency employees to locations outside the D.C. metropolitan area.

If passed, the bill would empower the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to oversee the relocation process. Furthermore, the remaining federal workers in the capital region would be required to work in person full-time. The OMB would also be tasked with selling any excess office space resulting from the relocations.

In a statement, Sen. Ernst emphasized the need to address inefficiencies within the federal workforce, stating that her investigations revealed instances of employees not fulfilling their duties during work hours. She expressed her commitment to fulfilling the desire of federal workers to operate outside of Washington, D.C., and highlighted the potential benefits of selling unused office buildings to taxpayers.

Proposed legislation called DRAIN THE SWAMP seeks to decentralize federal workforce.

Sen. Ernst's bill aims to relocate 30% of federal employees outside D.C.

OMB would oversee relocation process and sell excess office space.

Sen. Ernst's efforts align with President Donald Trump's initiative to streamline government operations through the DOGE advisory board, which includes prominent figures like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. The House is also set to introduce companion legislation led by Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., a co-leader of the House DOGE caucus.

Rep. Bean echoed Sen. Ernst's sentiments, emphasizing the importance of serving the American people and reducing bureaucratic inefficiencies. The formation of DOGE caucuses in both the House and Senate, spearheaded by various Republican lawmakers, signals a concerted effort to eliminate government waste and enhance efficiency.

With a series of bills already in the pipeline, Republicans in Congress are poised to advance the objectives of the DOGE initiative, focusing on restructuring federal agencies and cutting unnecessary expenditures to better serve the public.