Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Fleischmann, Charles J. "Chuck" [R-TN-3]
In Committee
Summary
This bill would expand cash awards for federal employees who identify and report wasteful spending and strengthen agency review, public disclosure, and oversight of those savings. It raises award limits and clarifies who can identify and certify savings to prompt rescissions or other actions.
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- Federal employees: More employees could get cash awards for identifying "wasteful expenses" to the Chief Financial Officer. Wasteful expenses are amounts in salaries and operations accounts that an employee flags and the CFO finds are not required, and the maximum award rises from $10,000 to $20,000. OIG staff and those ineligible under section 4509 cannot receive awards.
- Agency leaders and CFOs: CFOs must determine whether reported items meet the bill's wasteful expense standard and, if so, agency heads must notify the President to propose rescissions under the Impoundment Control Act. Agencies without a CFO must designate someone to make those determinations.
- Public transparency: Agency heads must publish descriptions of each disclosure found to have merit and report the number and amount of cash awards in the same manner and form as required under 31 U.S.C. 1116.
- Oversight and Congress: The Office of Personnel Management must annually certify agency compliance to Congress. The Comptroller General must report on the program not later than three years after enactment and again every three years for six years, including recommendations for legislative changes.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Bigger cash awards for federal employees
This bill would raise the maximum cash award an agency may pay per award from $10,000 to $20,000. If enacted, eligible federal employees could receive up to $20,000 for a qualifying cost-saving disclosure. The change would take effect upon enactment.
Cash awards for reporting agency waste
This bill would let agency heads pay cash awards to employees who identify wasteful expenses or report fraud, waste, or mismanagement when those actions lead to cost savings. The agency Chief Financial Officer (or a designated employee if no CFO exists) must determine that the amounts are wasteful. Agencies would publish descriptions of merit disclosures and the number and amount of awards in the same manner as 31 U.S.C. 1116. If the CFO finds amounts meet the wasteful-expenses definition, the agency head must notify the President to propose rescissions under the Impoundment Control Act. The Director of OPM would certify agency compliance each year. The Comptroller General would report to Congress within 3 years and every 3 years after that for 6 years. Office of Inspector General employees and people ineligible under section 4509 would not be able to get awards.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Fleischmann, Charles J. "Chuck" [R-TN-3]
TN • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1]
HI • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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