GOP lawmaker passes MERIT Act to restructure federal workforce based on private sector model
FIRST ON FOX: Representative Barry Loudermilk introduced a measure Thursday that would reform and restructure the federal government workforce focusing on hiring and retaining officers based on merit, modeling firing employees after that of the private sector, Fox News Digital has learned.
Loudermilk, R-Ga., reintroduced the Modern Employment Reform, Improvement and Transformation (MERIT) Act on Thursday in an effort to keep “ineffective, corrupt Govt. bureaucrats responsible.”
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The induction comes after the president Donald Trump he signed several executive measures on his first day aimed at reforming the federal workforce.
“Over the past four years, most Americans have grown fearful of the federal government and its ability to wield power unfairly, and tired of funding fraud, waste and abuse within our bloated federal bureaucracy,” Loudermilk told Fox News Digital. “With President Trump back in office and the passage of my MERIT Act, Americans will once again have a government they can be proud of, not one they fear and distrust.”
Loudermilk says he intends to “return our government to one that works for the people, not one that works for self-interest or political agendas.”
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., chairs the House Oversight Subcommittee on “Oversight of the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Capitol Police” on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. (Getty Images)
The bill would address misconduct and poor performance by eliminating Chapter 43’s special procedure for actions against wrongdoers and bad actors, which Loudermilk said was “unnecessarily time-consuming,” and instead streamline the Chapter 75 process for removal or suspension employees and supervisors.
The bill also allows agencies to remove a senior executive from the civil service for performance, rather than just demoting him to a non-senior executive (SES) position.
The Merit Act also authorizes agencies to order restitution of bonuses and awards when performance or conduct problems are discovered and it is determined that the bonus or award would not have been paid if the problems had been known at the time.
The bill also affects the pensions of employees who have been fired based on a felony conviction for actions taken in furtherance of official duties. The period of service during which the criminal acts occurred will be eliminated for purposes of calculating any annuity against the account.
“Federal government reform must start with a dedicated, efficient and committed workforce, which is why the DESERVE Act is an essential step in fixing our broken system,” Loudermilk said. “Our federal employment system is supposed to reward hard work and dedication; however, current federal employment law protects poor performance and corruption.”
President Trump delivers his second presidential inaugural address on January 20, 2024. (Fox News)
Loudermilk said he has been working on the bill for “several years” and that “now is the time to reform our antiquated system.”
“MERIT would create a more efficient and effective government that works for the benefit of the American people,” he said. “It would restructure federal employment law by modeling layoffs on that of the private sector and reduce the time needed to root out bad behavior and bad workers.”
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Loudermilk told Fox News Digital that he is “encouraged” that Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) will “complement MERIT.”
“I look forward to working with them and my colleagues to pass it in the House of Representatives,” Loudermilk said.
The bill’s original co-sponsors are Reps. Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, Erin Houchin, Burgess Owens, Anna Paulina Luna, Scott Franklin, Dan Webster, Tracy Mann, Dan Meuser, Brian Babin, Claudia Tenney, Jim Baird, Greg Steube and Tim Burchett.
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The introduction of the legislation comes as Trump has already taken steps to reform the workforce during his first week in office.
Trump ordered all agencies and departments to close their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) offices by Wednesday evening and place all DEI office employees on paid administrative leave.
On Tuesday, Trump issued two more executive actions targeting DEI: An executive order to end discrimination in the workplace and in higher education through race- and gender-based preferences under the guise of DEI, and a memo to remove the Biden administration’s policy that prioritized hiring DEI- me at the Federal Aviation Administration.
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By the end of the day on Friday, Trump ordered all agency and department heads to notify their workforces to return to in-person office work. The White House recommended a target return-to-work start date of 30 days from the original notification.
