Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced that she intends to introduce legislation to freeze federal hiring and move agencies out of the swamp.
“I will be introducing legislation that coincides with @DOGE’s plan to make the federal government more efficient,” Blackburn wrote. “My DOGE Act will freeze federal hiring, begin the process to relocate agencies out of the D.C. swamp, and establish a merit-based salary system for the federal workforce. @elonmusk @VivekGRamaswamy.”
Blackburn’s spokesperson said the legislation, called the DOGE Acts, “coincide with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s plan to make the federal government more efficient. Specifically, these bills would cut discretionary spending, move federal agencies out of the swamp, freeze federal hiring and salaries for one year, begin the process of a merit-based compensation structure for federal employees, and require agencies to get employees back in the office.”
Blackburn previously introduced similar legislation alongside Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) in 2019. At the time, the Helping Infrastructure Restore the Economy (HIRE) Act sought to move federal agency headquarters to Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
The bill would have built “infrastructure in areas of the United States that need the infrastructure” and shared “employment and other financial benefits of Federal employment with individuals who live in economically distressed regions.”
Congress has also announced caucuses and subcommittees that will work with DOGE. The caucus, launched by Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL), said Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will “need partners in Congress to accomplish many of the cuts necessary to rein in the unelected bureaucrats who have had unchecked power for far too long.”
The DOGE subcommittee will be chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
