New Bill Voids Federal Rules Restricting Military Gear Transfers to Local Police Issued Since 2015

The aptly named Lifesaving Gear for Police Act of 2025 is straightforward: it’s designed to make it much easier for state and local police departments to get their hands on surplus federal equipment, including military gear, by gutting nearly a decade of federal oversight. The bill automatically voids any federal rule, guidance, or policy issued after May 15, 2015, that restricted the sale, donation, or transfer of federal property to local law enforcement, unless Congress specifically passes a new law to approve that restriction. This is a direct legislative strike against executive actions previously taken to limit the flow of military-grade equipment into civilian policing.

The Executive Order Bypass

To understand the real-world impact, you have to look at what this bill targets. Since 2015, two major Executive Orders (EO 13688 and EO 14074) were issued to increase federal oversight of the 1033 Program, which transfers surplus Department of Defense equipment. These orders were meant to stop things like grenade launchers and bayonets from ending up on Main Street. This new bill completely nullifies those restrictions and any similar guidance issued by federal agencies since that date. Think of it this way: if a local police chief wanted a specific type of armored vehicle that was previously restricted by a federal rule issued in 2017, that restriction is now gone—unless Congress steps in. The bill also explicitly bars the President from issuing any new, similar executive orders to reinstate those restrictions.

The Gear Grab and the Return Policy

For local police departments, this means a floodgate opens. They gain immediate, easier access to federal surplus equipment, which they often argue is vital for officer safety and handling high-risk situations. For the rest of us, it means less federal control over the type of equipment our local police forces use. Furthermore, the bill includes a mandate that could create an administrative headache for federal agencies: any property that was seized or taken back from a local agency after May 15, 2015, specifically because of those now-void rules, must be returned, replaced, or re-issued at no cost to the local agency, provided they ask for it and still meet the standard requirements for using that equipment. If your local police department had an item taken away five years ago, they can now demand it back, which could mean federal agencies are scrambling to locate and return property.

Who Pays for the Oversight Trade-Off?

This legislation is a clear win for police departments seeking unrestricted access to equipment, but it raises questions about accountability. The bill prohibits federal agencies from spending any money or resources trying to enforce the now-void restrictions. This effectively defunds any federal oversight mechanisms that were put in place to monitor the transfer process and ensure equipment usage was appropriate. While the bill’s title suggests “lifesaving gear,” the provisions apply to any federal property transferred under the program. This lack of federal check-and-balance means that decisions about whether certain military-grade equipment is appropriate for a local community will be made almost entirely at the local level, without the buffer of federal guidance that previously existed. It’s a trade-off between local resource availability and centralized oversight, and it’s one that could significantly alter the look and feel of policing in communities across the country.