Sponsor
Warren Davidson
Representative · R-OH
Representative · R-OH
The bill trades potential long-term taxpayer savings and economic gains for communities outside DC and adds formal oversight, against significant disruption for federal employees, short‑term transition costs, weakened DC-area economies, potential coordination problems in government, and some national security risks.
Taxpayers: relocating some federal headquarters functions outside Washington, DC can reduce federal real estate and operating costs, potentially saving taxpayer money over time if lower-rent locations are chosen.
Residents and local economies in receiving communities: moving headquarters jobs and functions can create employment and economic activity in cities and rural areas outside the Washington metro area.
Federal employees and taxpayers: requiring OMB and GSA certification of relocation plans forces formal oversight of costs, planning, and security considerations, helping limit wasteful moves and ensuring statutory requirements are reviewed.
Federal employees: many may be forced to relocate, face longer commutes, or leave their jobs if they cannot move, disrupting lives, careers, and institutional knowledge.
Federal employees, local governments, diplomats, and Congress: reducing the federal workforce presence in DC can impair interagency coordination, stakeholder access, and responsiveness to Congress and international partners, degrading policymaking and oversight.
Taxpayers: agencies will incur near-term transition costs (moving, new leases, severance, redundancy) that could offset projected savings for years.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires most executive agencies to relocate headquarters outside the Washington metropolitan area, submit certified plans by Sept 30, 2026, and implement moves by Sept 30, 2030.
Official title: To require the head of each executive agency to relocate such agency outside of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 21, 2025 by Warren Davidson · Last progress February 21, 2025
Requires most executive branch agencies (excluding the Executive Office of the President) to develop, have certified, and implement plans to relocate their headquarters outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Agencies must submit certified relocation plans to Congress by September 30, 2026 that identify a non‑D.C. metro location, limit Washington‑area staffing to 10% or less, maximize cost savings, and address national security; plans must be implemented by September 30, 2030.