Mid City Times

On Friday, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne introduced the Reducing Expensive Departments & Unnecessary Civil Employees Act (REDUCE Act) in Washington, D.C. The bill aims to codify an executive action by President Trump intended to reduce bureaucracy within federal agencies. The REDUCE Act mandates the elimination of redundant positions and reforms hiring practices to manage the administrative state.

“The American people demanded a slimmed down federal government that is responsive to the needs of working Americans, instead of self-serving bureaucrats, and operates more efficiently and effectively for our country,” stated Rep. Van Duyne. She emphasized that North Texans have experienced significant impacts from regulatory costs imposed by the administrative state. Her goal with this legislation is to enshrine President Trump's executive order into law.

The context for this initiative includes a federal workforce exceeding 2.4 million employees across over 400 agencies, according to the Federal Register. This number excludes active-duty military and Postal Service employees. On February 11, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order as part of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) workforce optimization initiative.

Congresswoman Van Duyne introduced the REDUCE Act on February 21, 2025, as a member of the Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus. The act requires agencies to cut duplicative roles and restricts hiring such that only one new employee can be hired for every four who leave the federal workforce, with exceptions made for immigration, law enforcement, and public safety sectors.

This legislative move follows Van Duyne's previous efforts with the GORAC Act aimed at reducing bureaucracy and addressing national debt concerns.