Reducing the Federal Workforce Through Attrition Act
The Reducing the Federal Workforce Through Attrition Act seeks to shrink the size of the federal workforce primarily through natural attrition and tightly controlled hiring. It establishes agency-specific workforce caps, phased in over several years, so that by FY 2028 the total number of federal employees across all agencies cannot exceed 90% of the September 30, 2025 level. The act imposes a separate replacement-rate limit (no more than 1 new hire for every 3 federal employees who retire or separate) during 2026-2027 to help reach the cap. It also creates detailed monitoring and enforcement mechanisms: agencies that exceed their cap face hiring freezes and restrictions on remote-work arrangements, hours, or official time, with mandatory notices to the President and Congress. The bill defines terms, provides emergency waivers, and allows transfers between agencies if both are in compliance.
Key Points
- 190% cap on total federal employees starting in FY 2028, tied to the 2025 baseline across all agencies; agency counts are counted in full-time equivalent (FTE) terms and exclude political appointees.
- 2Agency-specific caps: agencies must report their September 30, 2025 headcount by Oct 31, 2025, and the Director of OMB must establish each agency’s maximum allowable FTE by the end of Q1 of FY 2026.
- 3Replacement rate to reach the cap: from the start of FY 2026 Q2 through FY 2027, agencies may hire no more than 1 person for every 3 federal employees who retire or separate.
- 4Enforcement and reporting: if an agency exceeds its cap, it cannot fill vacancies, cannot approve remote-work or extended remote hours, cannot increase official time, and must receive written notice to the President and Congress within 14 days of a quarterly determination.
- 5Waivers and other rules: emergencies (wartime or other national security/state of extraordinary emergency) can waive the cap for certain positions; counting uses non-cumulative FTE counts and is not subject to collective bargaining; transfers between agencies are allowed if the destination agency is in compliance.