S 2816119th CongressIntroduced

Stop Sycophants in Government Act of 2025

Introduced: Sep 16, 2025

Civil Rights & Justice

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Stop Sycophants in Government Act of 2025 prohibits any federal official, including the President, from administering a political loyalty test to any federal employee or to positions of employment. The prohibition covers tests used as a condition of employment or as part of the process for applying for a job, appointing someone to a position, deciding on promotions, or renewing contracts with respect to an employee. The bill defines who counts as an “employee” (civil service employees, presidential appointees, USPS employees, and employees of the Postal Regulatory Commission) and clarifies that the term “Executive department” follows the standard statutory definition. Introduced in the Senate by Sen. Murphy on September 16, 2025, the bill seeks to ensure that hiring, promotion, and related employment decisions are not conditioned on political loyalty. In short, the bill would bar the use of political loyalty assessments in federal staffing and related processes, promoting a merit-based approach to federal employment and restricting political tests at multiple stages of employment.

Key Points

1Prohibition on political loyalty tests: No federal official, including the President, may administer a political loyalty test to any employee or for any employee position, in any hiring, appointment, promotion, or contract renewal context.
2Definition of covered individuals: An “employee” includes civil service employees (as defined by 5 U.S.C. 2105), presidential appointees (including department heads), USPS employees, and employees of the Postal Regulatory Commission. The term “Executive department” follows the standard definition in 5 U.S.C. 101.
3Scope of application: Applies to employment, applications, appointment decisions, promotion decisions, and contract renewal processes related to an employee.
4Short title: The act is titled the Stop Sycophants in Government Act of 2025.
5Enforcement and penalties: The text provided does not specify penalties or enforcement mechanisms; details may be addressed in sections of the bill not included in the provided excerpt.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Federal employees and applicants in executive departments and USPS, and the Postal Regulatory Commission; impacts hiring, appointment, promotion, and contract renewal practices.Secondary group/area affected- Federal agencies’ human resources operations and policies; potential changes to HR training, interview questions, and vetting procedures to ensure compliance.- Entities involved in government contracting where contract renewal could be influenced by employee loyalty considerations.Additional impacts- Clarifies that political loyalty assumptions cannot be used as a condition for federal employment, potentially limiting political litmus testing in federal staffing.- Possible need for implementing regulations or agency guidance to define what constitutes a “political loyalty test” and to provide compliance procedures, given that the text does not define the term explicitly or outline penalties.- Questions may arise about related processes such as security clearances or other credentialing that involve evaluative steps; the bill’s language focuses specifically on loyalty testing rather than broader security screening.

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