The Saving the Department of the Interior's Workforce Act would freeze all employee layoffs and involuntary separations across the Interior Department and its agencies until Congress passes a full-year budget for fiscal year 2026. The moratorium would prevent the department from conducting reductions in force or forcing out career employees in competitive positions, though it still allows terminations for legitimate causes like misconduct, poor performance, or delinquency. The bill, introduced in July 2025, affects thousands of federal workers employed by Interior Department agencies and bureaus, protecting their jobs from budgetary or operational cutbacks during the appropriations process. There is no specific funding attached to the legislation; instead, it restricts how Interior Department leadership can manage its workforce. The moratorium would remain in effect only until Congress enacts full-year appropriations for the Interior Department, at which point the restriction would expire and normal hiring and workforce management rules would resume.
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