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119-s-357119th CongressWALLET
Federal Freeze Act
Sponsored By: Senator Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
Introduced
Summary
Limits federal workforce growth and pay while forcing staged staff cuts. The Federal Freeze Act would impose a one-year freeze on federal hiring and pay and require agencies to reduce their workforce over a three-year period, with narrow exceptions for security and emergency roles.
Show full summary
- Federal employees and job seekers would face a one-year bar on pay increases and a tightened hiring climate. Agencies must shrink headcount to 2% below each agency's baseline by two years and to 5% below baseline by three years.
- Agency leaders must plan and carry out mandatory reductions to meet those targets. They may exempt employees they determine are essential for law enforcement, public safety, or national security, or for responding to Stafford Act emergencies.
- Workers in law enforcement, public safety, national security, and designated emergency responders could still be hired during the freeze and exempted from counting toward required reductions, preserving those roles despite broader cuts.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Federal hiring, pay freeze and cuts
If enacted, this bill would stop most federal hiring and pay raises for one year starting on the enactment date. Agencies could still hire people needed for law enforcement, public safety, national security, or to respond to a Stafford Act emergency. Each agency must cut staff to 2% below its baseline by 2 years after enactment and to 5% below by 3 years after enactment. The baseline is the agency’s total employees, including full-time equivalents, on the enactment date. Employees exempted by an agency head for safety, security, or emergency response do not count toward those cuts. If passed, households with federal workers could see fewer raises, fewer new jobs, or higher risk of job loss.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
TN • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov