FOX First: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), leader of the Senate Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus, wants to combat centralization of federal workers in the Washington, D.C., area with new legislation. . Nearly one-third of the company’s employees will be relocated.
Mr. Ernst introduced a bill entitled the “Decentralizing and Reorganizing the Nation’s Government Agency Infrastructure to Take advantage of Efficient Service, Workforce Management, and Administrative Practices Act” (Draining the Quagmire). Leading.
The measure would allow the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to relocate 30% of federal agency employees to locations outside the metropolitan area surrounding Washington, D.C.
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Mr. Ernst has been sniffing out government waste for years. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In addition, the remaining federal employees remaining near the capital will be required to work 100% in-person.
His bill would also direct OMB to sell unnecessary office space resulting from the relocation.
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Congress is rushing to prepare to implement the recommendations of President Trump’s new DOGE commission. (Getty Images)
“My investigation revealed how these bureaucrats did everything but work during their working hours,” Ernst said in a statement. “Federal employees have indicated they don’t want to work in Washington, and in the spirit of Christmas, I’m going to make their wish come true. Rather than keep them stuck in the quagmire, I’m going to move them across the D.C. beltway. We’re working to call out public servants to remind them who they work for. ”
“In addition to improving government services for all Americans, we can give taxpayers an extra Christmas present by selling unused, expensive office buildings.”
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President Trump announced DOGE in November. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarborough)
Ernst has spent years researching federal agencies, programs and what constitutes waste. With Donald Trump announcing DOGE ahead of his second administration, the Iowa Republican is implementing concrete ideas already laid out for the next president. Looks like it’s ready.
The legislation is being introduced in the House by Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.), co-leader of the House DOGE Caucus.
“The swamp is deep and deep here in Crazytown, and I’m here to drain it. It’s time to remind Washington that our duty is to serve the American people. I am proud to join Senator Ernst in ensuring that our government works for the people, not the other way around.”
In November, President Trump announced that billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy would lead DOGE, a proposed advisory committee tasked with eliminating waste in government.
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Ramaswamy will co-lead DOGE with Musk. (Al Drago)
“Together, these two great Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, reduce overregulation, eliminate wasteful spending, and restructure federal agencies. “This is essential to the ‘Save America’ movement,” he said in a statement at the time. .
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Caucuses were then held in both the House and Senate, with Reps. Aaron Bean (R-Florida) and Pete Sessions (R-Texas), and Ernst Moore and Blake Moore (R-Texas) respectively. led by Utah.
Republicans in both chambers have already begun introducing a series of bills aimed at fulfilling DOGE’s mission.
Julia Johnson is a political writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, where she leads coverage of the U.S. Senate. She previously served as a political reporter for the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia’s reporting on X. @juliaajohnson_ Send your tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.
