Sponsor
Roger Wayne Marshall
Senator · R-KS
Senator · R-KS
The bill makes it faster and easier to remove, debar, and rescind pay for Federal employees who refuse to cooperate or lie under oath—strengthening accountability—but increases risks of chilling legitimate legal defenses and whistleblowing, imposes heavy career/economic costs on individuals, and creates potential for politicized, expedited rescissions.
Taxpayers and agencies can more quickly rescind pay and suspend salary funding for Federal employees who are certified for referral after misconduct or who refuse to cooperate, enabling faster accountability and deterrence of uncooperative witnesses.
Federal employees who commit perjury or false statements face mandatory removal and debarment, strengthening consequences for dishonesty in sworn testimony and supporting integrity of federal investigations and proceedings.
Debarment and rescission actions are subject to judicial review, providing a legal check that can correct erroneous or unfair administrative actions.
Federal employees (including potential whistleblowers) who invoke rights or make contested legal claims risk removal and debarment, which could chill lawful refusal to answer in complex situations and deter reporting of wrongdoing.
Mandatory removal and debarment can impose severe financial and career losses on individuals, with limited administrative protections before removal and reliance on post‑hoc judicial review.
The expedited privileged joint-resolution process (allowing any Member 180 days to introduce a rescission) compresses normal deliberation and may lead to politicized or rushed pay rescissions while increasing legislative workload and related costs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds mandatory debarment/removal for witnesses who refuse to answer or are convicted of perjury/false statements and creates an expedited congressional resolution to rescind salary funds for Federal employee witnesses.
Official title: Amend the Revised Statutes to provide that a person who refuses to answer certain questions or is finally convicted of perjury before either House of Congress shall be debarred from Federal employment, and for other purposes.
Introduced August 4, 2026 by Roger Wayne Marshall · Last progress August 4, 2026
Adds mandatory debarment and civil‑service removal for witnesses who refuse to answer congressional questions or are convicted of perjury or false statements, and creates an expedited, privileged congressional procedure that allows any Member to introduce a joint resolution (within 180 days after certification to a U.S. attorney) to rescind salary and expense funds for a Federal employee witness. The resolution has fast committee and floor deadlines and is subject to judicial review. Also revises filing rules for contempt certifications (to allow filing with an “appropriate Member of Congress”) and makes debarment decisions and the new rescission resolution subject to judicial review, while preserving existing misdemeanor penalties for refusal to answer.