Congress Proposes 20% Cut to Federal Workforce by Limiting New Hires and Merging Departments
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
This bill directly targets the entire federal civilian workforce by mandating a 4-to-1 attrition ratio — for every 4 employees who leave, only 1 can be hired. This continues until each agency has shrunk to 80% of its current size, effectively cutting roughly 400,000 positions across government. Agency heads must also identify redundant positions and create plans to eliminate or merge departments, meaning many workers could face reductions in force (layoffs). The only exemptions are for national security, law enforcement, public safety, and immigration enforcement roles.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Rep. Beth Van Duyne introduced the REDUCE Act to codify the administration's workforce optimization goals. The bill mandates a 20% staff reduction and limits agencies to hiring one new employee for every four who depart, aiming to eliminate redundant positions across the executive branch.
Reporting on the 'unprecedented' shrinking of the federal workforce, this coverage notes that nearly 213,000 jobs were shed by December 2025. It highlights the anxiety caused by the 1-for-4 hiring rule and the impact of the REDUCE Act on the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.
This analysis explores how the REDUCE Act and the 1-for-4 hiring rule impact science agencies like the NSF and NASA. The policy requires agencies to prioritize the elimination of non-statutory positions and consolidate redundant structures to meet a 20% reduction target.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
REDUCE Act
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