The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.The DRAIN THE SWAMP Act (H.R. 10517)
Record date · December 19, 2024
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill requires federal agencies to move 30% of their headquarters staff to locations outside the Washington, D.C. area and mandates a 30% reduction in federal headquarters office space. It also prohibits full-time telework for most s and bars relocation incentive payments for affected staff.
If enacted, this law would force a major geographic shift for thousands of federal employees and significantly reduce the federal government's real estate footprint in the D.C. region within two years.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Federal headquarters employees
Employees may be required to relocate to a new duty station outside the Washington area or lose their ability to telework full-time.
Federal agencies
Agencies must identify staff for relocation, report to Congress, and reduce their physical office space by 30%.
Washington metropolitan area businesses
The reduction in federal office space and relocation of staff may impact local economic activity and demand for services in the D.C. region.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will all federal employees be forced to move?
Are there exceptions for employees with disabilities?
Can employees sue if they are unfairly selected for relocation?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Decentralization
The bill represents a shift from voluntary or agency-led telework policies to a federally mandated geographic dispersal of the workforce.
Relocation Cost Prohibition
The bill explicitly forbids relocation incentives, shifting the financial burden of moving entirely onto the affected employees.
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy80Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment40Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz65Current news / social attention level
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