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S 357 119th Congress Senate Government Operations and Politics Employee hiring Executive agency funding and structure Federal officials Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Federal Freeze Act

Introduced: February 3, 2025 Introduced by: Blackburn, Marsha Republican · Tennessee See on congress.gov
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 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 3, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Federal Freeze Act

This bill bars pay raises for federal employees for one year and requires reductions in the number of employees at each federal agency.

The bill prohibits agencies from increasing the basic pay of any employee for one year after enactment. Also in that first year, the bill prohibits each federal agency from increasing the number of its employees beyond the number employed on the date of the bill's enactment, except that the agency may increase such number (1) when making appointments to positions related to law enforcement, public safety, or national security; or (2) if the individual so appointed is essential to emergency response under the Stafford Act. (The Stafford Act authorizes the President to issue declarations that provide states, tribes, and localities with a range of federal assistance in response to natural disasters and man-made incidents).

Additionally, the bill requires reductions in force such that within three years of the bill's enactment the number of employees at each agency is 5% lower than it was on the date of the bill's enactment. Employees that serve the interest of law enforcement, public safety, or national security or are essential to emergency response under the Stafford Act are not counted for the purposes of determining the number of employees at each agency.

What's happening now February 3, 2025

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 200 Related bill Federal Freeze Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 10

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 357: Federal Freeze Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-357/
MLA
"S. 357: Federal Freeze Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-357/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 357, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-357/.
Markdown link
[S. 357: Federal Freeze Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-357/)
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