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HR5068FEDERALin_committee

High Impact

Serve the People, Not the Swamp Act (H.R. 5068)

Original title: Serve the People, Not the Swamp Act

August 29, 2025

congressional reform lobbying federal budget government ethics congressional pay and benefits

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Where This Stands

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Signed

Currently in_committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Last action

Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, Rules, Oversight and Accountability, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.Jul 28, 2023

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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The Frame

What this does

If passed, this bill would force Congress to complete annual budget and appropriation work before taking long breaks and would significantly restrict the post-government employment options for former federal officials and lawmakers.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Members of Congress

They would face stricter rules on recess scheduling, a longer post-service lobbying ban, and the loss of future retirement coverage.

Executive Schedule appointees

They would be subject to a 5-year ban on lobbying executive branch departments and agencies after leaving their positions.

Office of Government Ethics

The agency would be tasked with reviewing and potentially granting waivers for the proposed lobbying restrictions.

What changed

Current stage: in_committee.

What's next

Floor Vote.

Summary

This bill proposes significant changes to how Congress operates, including stricter rules on when lawmakers can take recesses, a five-year lobbying ban for former high-level officials and members of Congress, and the elimination of future retirement coverage for members of Congress.

Key Facts

Prohibits the House from adjourning for more than three days in August until all annual appropriation bills are passed.
Prohibits both the House and Senate from adjourning for more than three days after October 1 until all annual appropriation bills are presented to the President.
Bans Congress from taking recesses longer than 24 hours unless a concurrent budget resolution is agreed upon that projects a balanced federal budget.
Establishes a 5-year lobbying ban for individuals who held Executive Schedule positions in the executive branch.
Extends the lobbying ban for former Members of Congress from 2 years to 5 years.
Provides for the termination of future retirement coverage for Members of Congress under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).
Allows the Director of the Office of Government Ethics to grant waivers for the 5-year lobbying ban under specific hardship conditions.
Prohibits waivers for the 5-year lobbying ban for Level I Executive Schedule positions and certain Executive Office of the President positions.
Exempts 'special Government employees' who serve less than 60 days in a one-year period from the 5-year lobbying ban.

Why It Matters

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this bill stop members of Congress from retiring?

No, but it proposes to end future retirement coverage for members of Congress under the Federal Employees Retirement System.

Can former officials ever get a waiver for the 5-year lobbying ban?

Yes, the Director of the Office of Government Ethics can grant a waiver if they determine that the restriction creates an undue hardship and would not lead to unfair influence, though certain high-level positions are ineligible for such waivers.

What happens if Congress fails to pass a budget?

Under this bill, Congress would be prohibited from taking any recess longer than 24 hours until they agree to a budget resolution that projects a balanced budget.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Aggressive Reform of Congressional Benefits

The bill moves beyond standard ethics reform by explicitly targeting the retirement benefits of current and future members of Congress.

Members of Congress

Connected Entities

organizationOffice of Government Ethics“The agency authorized to grant waivers for the proposed lobbying restrictions.”Map →

organization118th Congress“The legislative session in which the bill was introduced.”Map →

personMr. Gallagher“The Representative who introduced the bill.”Map →

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy75
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment40
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz50
Current news / social attention level

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