REHIRE Act

This bill gives certain career federal workers a boost when applying for new federal jobs if they were involuntarily removed from civil service between January 1, 2025 and January 1, 2027. These workers would be treated like “preference eligible” applicants and get 5 extra points added to their application score for competitive service jobs, helping them stand out in hiring pools.

Not everyone qualifies. The boost does not apply to people in political positions, anyone removed for clearly documented misconduct or delinquency, or anyone whose last performance review before removal was clearly documented as unacceptable or less than fully successful. This special authority ends 5 years after the bill becomes law.

Key points

• Who is affected: Career federal employees involuntarily removed in 2025–2026, except those in political roles or with documented poor performance or misconduct.
• What changes: Qualifying applicants get “preference eligible” status and 5 extra points on their hiring score for competitive service jobs.
• When: Applies to removals from January 1, 2025 through January 1, 2027; the program sunsets 5 years after enactment.