Central Louisiana News

U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy and Marsha Blackburn, along with their colleagues, have introduced two legislative bills aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the federal government and reducing unnecessary spending. The proposed legislation includes the Commission to Relocate the Federal Bureaucracy Act, which seeks to establish a commission tasked with reporting to Congress on relocating non-national security agencies from the Washington D.C. area. The goal is to move at least 100,000 federal employees out of the metro area.

Dr. Cassidy emphasized the benefits of dispersing federal agencies across different regions, stating, “Just like agencies such as the FAA is in Oklahoma City, and CDC is in Atlanta, then other federal agencies can be scattered across our nation.” He believes this would better connect agencies with citizens and promote economic development in various communities.

Senator Blackburn highlighted the opportunity for Republicans under President Trump's leadership to cut wasteful spending and manage bureaucracy more effectively. She noted that "the DOGE Acts would get the federal government back on track by requiring federal employees to return to the office" among other measures.

The second bill introduced is known as the Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems (SHOW UP) Act. This act mandates that government agencies revert to their pre-COVID telework policies within 30 days and requires agency heads to report any negative impacts from expanded telework during COVID-19. It also restricts permanent expansion of telework without Congressional approval.

Dr. Cassidy addressed concerns about remote work affecting service quality: “When someone calls the Social Security office and is put on hold...they understandably believe that if workers were in the office, there would be more oversight and quality control.”

The introduction of these bills saw support from several senators including Thom Tillis, Pete Ricketts, Mike Crapo, Joni Ernst, Chuck Grassley among others.

Earlier in January, Senator Cassidy had introduced another bill related to teleworking conditions for federal employees.