Sponsors (2)
The bill boosts rapid emergency response and infrastructure readiness by leveraging vetted private experts and standardized procedures, at the cost of broader executive delegation, potential workforce disruption, increased federal costs, compressed rulemaking, and risks to independent oversight and competition.
Federal agencies and critical-sector partners (e.g., utilities, transportation) can tap pre-vetted private experts and execute voluntary agreements more quickly during national emergencies, speeding government response and surge capacity.
Owners/operators of critical infrastructure and local governments receive formal voluntary-agreement and exercise requirements that improve preparedness and continuity of operations for catastrophic events (e.g., cyberattacks, major outages).
Federal agencies and contractors gain clearer, more standardized procedures (selection, compensation, security-clearance processes) and defined rulemaking timelines, increasing procedural predictability across agencies.
State and federal agencies, private firms, and affected sectors face broader presidential delegation and new authority that can expand program scope unpredictably, reduce direct presidential accountability, and impose new obligations across agencies and industries.
Existing federal employees could be temporarily displaced or see altered roles when private volunteers are appointed during activations, creating workforce disruption and morale issues.
Shifting consultation and oversight away from independent bodies like the FTC increases the risk that voluntary agreements could have anticompetitive effects or escape robust competition review.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates a National Defense Executive Reserve of private volunteers deployable to federal roles during declared national emergencies and shifts DPA rulemaking/delegation toward Commerce and the Attorney General.
Introduced May 21, 2025 by Zach Nunn · Last progress May 21, 2025
Creates a National Defense Executive Reserve made up of vetted private-sector volunteers who can be trained and temporarily appointed to federal positions during a Presidentially-declared national emergency. It requires OPM and several agencies to issue rules and set up Reserve units, and changes how parts of the Defense Production Act are administered by shifting certain authorities and rulemaking duties to the Department of Commerce and the Attorney General. Also requires the Attorney General to write rules for voluntary agreements under the Defense Production Act and directs the President to develop at least one voluntary agreement addressing a current critical national defense issue (for example, responding to catastrophic cyberattacks), using the new Reserve units if needed. The bill changes consultation and publication roles previously tied to the FTC and expands delegation of DPA authorities to agency heads.