Sponsors (2)
The resolution strengthens the case for restoring federal career staffing and oversight—potentially improving election and emergency security and protecting employees' rights—at the cost of higher near‑term federal spending, possible short-term service disruptions during rehiring, and temporary hits to public confidence.
Federal employees at agencies like FEMA, CISA, and TSA are affirmed as needing a professional career workforce, strengthening the case to restore staffing so these agencies can meet statutory missions and maintain disaster response and transport screening capacity.
Local election officials and the public could benefit if Congress restores funding or programs (e.g., CISA Election Security Program ~ $39.6M), improving election and broader cybersecurity support ahead of upcoming elections.
Citing unlawful or unauthorized personnel actions and GAO/OPM findings strengthens oversight, which may increase accountability, protect employees' rights, and reduce risks of disruptive personnel actions in the federal workforce.
Taxpayers could face increased federal spending to rehire or restore thousands of separated personnel, raising fiscal costs.
Travelers and communities relying on disaster response may experience temporary slowdowns or degraded service as urgent rehiring and surge staffing strain federal hiring systems during the transition.
Publicizing program eliminations and staffing failures could undermine public confidence in federal emergency and security services until reforms and rehiring take effect.
Based on analysis of 1 section of legislative text.
Records findings that FEMA, CISA, and TSA experienced significant career staff reductions, program eliminations, and operational impacts during 2024–2026, raising oversight and legal concerns.
Official title: Recognizing the critical missions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and expressing concern that the systematic reduction of its career workforce has undermined those missions and endangered the safety and security of United States citizens.
Introduced March 26, 2026 by Wesley Bell · Last progress March 26, 2026
Finds that FEMA, CISA, and TSA experienced substantial career workforce reductions, program eliminations, leadership departures, and operational gaps during 2024–2026 that have weakened disaster response, cybersecurity, election security, and transportation security capabilities. Notes reported personnel losses, buyouts, program eliminations (including CISA’s Election Security Program), high TSA attrition and airport callout rates, withheld pay during shutdowns, and legal findings or challenges to some workforce actions.