This bill mandates a phased reduction of the federal workforce to 90% of its 2025 levels by fiscal year 2028 through strict hiring limitations and attrition.
Ron Johnson
Senator
WI
The Reducing the Federal Workforce Through Attrition Act mandates a phased reduction of the federal workforce to 90 percent of its September 2025 levels by fiscal year 2028. To achieve this goal, the bill implements a strict hiring limit of one new hire for every three departures and imposes operational restrictions on agencies that fail to meet their mandated staffing caps. The legislation also includes provisions to prevent the outsourcing of these roles to service contracts and allows for emergency waivers in cases of national security or public safety crises.
Federal Workforce to Shrink by 10% Through 2028: New Hiring Limits and Remote Work Bans Proposed.
The 'Reducing the Federal Workforce Through Attrition Act' aims to slim down the federal government by mandating a 10% cut in total employees by the start of fiscal year 2028. Using September 30, 2025, as the baseline, the bill tasks the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with setting specific 'caps' for every executive agency. Instead of immediate layoffs, the bill uses a 'one-in, three-out' rule: from early 2026 through late 2027, agencies can only hire one new person for every three who retire or quit. This is a slow-motion diet for the federal bureaucracy designed to hit a hard ceiling within three years.
The 'One-In, Three-Out' Reality
To hit that 90% target, the bill places a strict governor on hiring (Section 2). Imagine a local Social Security office where three veteran claims processors retire; under this rule, the office could only hire one person to replace them. For a busy professional trying to resolve a tax issue or a small business owner waiting on a federal permit, this could mean longer wait times and fewer people answering the phones. While the bill allows the President to waive these limits for 'extraordinary emergencies' or national security, the default setting is a shrinking staff across the board.
Penalties for the Over-Staffed
If an agency fails to stay under its assigned cap after 2028, the bill triggers some serious 'tough love' measures. Non-compliant agencies are hit with an immediate freeze on all new appointments and—interestingly—a ban on expanding remote work. Specifically, an agency over its limit cannot approve more remote hours for current staff or hire anyone for a remote-only position. For the modern office worker in the federal sector, this ties workplace flexibility directly to the agency’s ability to downsize. It also limits 'official time' for union activities, signaling a major shift in how federal workplaces are managed.
Outsourcing and Accountability
One common concern with workforce cuts is that the work just gets shifted to expensive private contractors. The bill tries to get ahead of this by prohibiting an increase in service contracts unless a cost comparison proves it’s actually cheaper for the taxpayer (Section 2). However, for the average citizen, the real-world test will be whether the government can maintain the same level of service with 10% fewer people. While the goal is a more efficient, less costly government, the challenge lies in ensuring that 'attrition' doesn't just mean 'slower service' for the veterans, seniors, and taxpayers who rely on these agencies every day.