DRAIN THE SWAMP Act

The DRAIN THE SWAMP Act proposes a significant reorganization of the federal workforce by requiring executive agencies to move at least 30% of their Washington, D.C.-based employees to new locations across the country. The bill aims to promote geographic diversity by ensuring federal staff are distributed throughout different regions rather than being concentrated in the nation's capital. Certain agencies involved in national security, such as the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency, would be exempt from these relocation requirements.

If enacted, the bill would also mandate a 30% reduction in the office space currently used for agency headquarters in the D.C. area. This would involve selling government-owned buildings or ending leases for private office space. Additionally, the legislation would end full-time telework for both relocated employees and those remaining in the D.C. area, except in cases where telework is required as a disability accommodation.

For federal employees, this move would result in changes to their compensation, as their pay would be adjusted to match the local cost of living in their new duty stations. For the general public, the bill proposes to move government operations closer to the communities they serve while potentially reducing the federal footprint in the capital. Agencies would be required to submit their reorganization plans within 180 days and complete the moves within one year of the bill becoming law.