Introduction of the Protecting Federal Agencies and Employees From Political Interference Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the Protecting Federal Agencies and Employees from Political Interference Act, which would prohibit the relocation outside of the National Capital Region (NCR) of the headquarters for any federal agency located in the NCR or any federal employee position with a duty station in the NCR. Last week, the Trump administration directed federal agencies to submit ``proposed relocations of agency bureaus and offices from Washington, DC and the National Capital Region to less-costly parts of the country.''

The first Trump administration relocated a few agencies outside the NCR, which harmed the operations of the agencies and deprived the federal government of the expertise of experienced federal employees. For example, in 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture relocated the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture from the NCR to Kansas City. A 2022 Government Accountability Office report found that the relocation led to the agencies ``losing . . . institutional knowledge and critical expertise.'' As a former head of ERS said in 2021, ``The agencies have been decimated. Their ability to perform the functions they were created to perform--it doesn't exist anymore.''

Employees in the headquarters for the agencies located in the NCR perform the indispensable work of keeping Congress informed of agency activities. Congress cannot write laws or conduct oversight without the critical information provided by agencies.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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