Marsha Blackburn to Unveil Bill to Freeze Federal Hiring, Relocate Agencies from D.C. Swamp

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said on Thursday that she plans to introduce legislation to freeze federal hiring and move agencies out of the D.C. swamp.

“I will be introducing legislation that coincides with @DOGE’s plan to make the federal government more efficient,” Blackburn wrote on Thursday. “My DOGE Act will freeze federal hiring, begin the process to relocate agencies out of the D.C. swamp, and establish a merit-based salary system for the federal workforce.@elonmusk @VivekGRamaswamy.”

The Tennessee senator’s announcement comes on the heels of her hosting Vivek Ramaswamy on her podcast, Unmuted with Marsha, to discuss how to cut government waste; Ramaswamy and Elon Musk will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative.

Much of Blackburn’s forthcoming legislation may draw inspiration from her prior work to drain the D.C. swamp and cut waste.

Sens. Blackburn and Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced legislation in 2019, the Helping Infrastructure Restore the Economy (HIRE) Act to move federal agency headquarters to regions of the American Heartland.

Blackburn said in a statement when she and Hawley introduced the bill:

Moving agencies outside of Washington, DC, both boosts local economies and lowers costs — that’s a winning combination. This legislation would enable Americans across the country to have greater access to good jobs. Tennesseans would greatly benefit from having portions of the Department of Education in the Volunteer State. It is my hope that the HIRE Act will quickly pass the Senate.

One study found that moving agencies in the Agriculture Department will save $300 million over 15 years. The report also found that moving agencies outside D.C. could save money by decreasing employee attrition.

The HIRE Act would move the headquarters of the Agriculture Department to Missouri and the Education Department to Tennessee, as well as eight other agencies to economically depressed areas in separate states.

Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.