Why the 2019 HIRE Act is a great idea

Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

October 2019, Senators Josh Hawley and Marsha Blackburn introduced a bill that proposed relocating 90% of the federal bureaucracy to locales outside Washington, D.C. The rationale was simple. “Why not move bureaus to locations closer to their actual duties?”

It sounded plausible. Americans initially exposed to the concept embraced it. Many saw the proposal as a method of “sharing the hegemony.” But as might have been expected, the bill ran into the usual “swamp quicksand.”

Those opposed to the HIRE Act saw it as an end run on the system. In their thinking, it was a clever strategy designed to attain Donald Trump’s objective of “draining the swamp.” With the Senate’s referral to a committee, the deep state made certain that the act would receive little notoriety, ideally dying quietly.

The 2019 HIRE Act, formally known as the Helping Infrastructure Restore the Economy Act, was introduced in the 116th Congress on October 23, 2019¹. The bill, sponsored by Senator Josh Hawley, aimed to relocate the headquarters of certain Federal agencies and permanent duty stations of employees of Federal agencies to economically distressed regions. The purpose was to build needed infrastructure in these areas and to share the benefits of Federal employment more broadly¹.

However, it’s important to note that this bill did not pass; it was introduced in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs but did not receive a vote². Legislation not passed by the end of a Congress is cleared from the books, and this bill was not enacted during the 116th Congress, which met from January 3, 2019, to January 3, 2021².

Specifics of the Proposed HIRE Act

Hawley proposed moving the Department of Agriculture to his home state of Missouri. The bulk of the department would be housed in Kansas City, in the heart of the farm belt. Quite Logical, you would think? Ditto for moving the Department of Interior to New Mexico, a location much nearer to the national parks and monuments. DOI’s purpose is to maintain and oversee places of national interest, namely national parks and monuments.

Transportation was ticketed for Michigan. Health and Human Services was to be relocated to Indiana. Housing and Urban Development would move to Ohio. Energy would move to Kentucky. Labor would move to West Virginia. Commerce would be moved to Pennsylvania. Veterans Affairs would be relocated to South Carolina. The original proposal saw Education reassigned to Tennessee.

Since that time, a consensus is building in the Republican party for the abolition of the Department of Education. Expect this trend to continue as Donald Trump attempts to woo Libertarian voters. Meanwhile, two more destinations have popped up: Homeland Security to Texas, and Environmental Protection to Arkansas, specifically Hot Springs National Park. All three initiatives make sense.

The Practicality of the Proposal

The Washington, D.C. area represents some of America’s most expensive real estate. Unquestionably, a home in Charleston, West Virginia or Hot Springs, Arkansas will cost considerably less than the same in Fairfax, VA or Silver Spring, MD. Furthermore, the infrastructure needed by the welcoming states will be accompanied by high-paying jobs. Senators Hawley and Blackburn made note of this. A $160,000 per year job allows one to live well in Washington, D.C. In Kansas City, they can live extremely well. In Richmond, Kentucky, a person can live “like a lord.”

Better yet, those assigned to Energy, Agriculture, Interior and Homeland Security can be situated “close to their actual assignment.”

Initial Resistance

Moving the Bureau of Land Management to Grand Junction, Colorado sounded like the right thing to do. For those unaware of what BLM does, it oversees federal lands administering to oil and gas leases, pastureland, etc. Most BLM lands are thousands of miles from Washington, DC. Grand Junctions sits in the middle of them. It might be noted that Colorado’s two Democrat Senators favored the relocation.

The city renovated a building and made plans to house the nerve center of the bureau. The federal government offered full relocation and a $25,000 relocation bonus for all employees making the move. 70% of the personnel resigned, citing reasons relating to “the need to be accessible to legislative bodies and important lobbyists.” Joe Biden was sympathetic to their concerns. In the end, everything stalled.

Going Forward

Former Presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy called for “laying off 75% of the federal bureaucracy.” The Heritage Foundation reminded that “95%” of these bureaucrats contributed to Democrat candidates in 2020 and 2022. While laying off employees is legally possible, it will not be without litigation and the normal expense that comes with firings. Relocations are another thing.

When an employee is relocated in corporate America, he can either accept it or resign. If the decision is the latter, the employee is not eligible for unemployment benefits.

The HIRE Act would “kill two proverbial birds with one stone!” It would effectively decentralize the federal bureaucracy. It would save the American taxpayers millions in unemployment benefit costs and relocation costs.

To resurrect the 2019 HIRE Act, Trump needs to not only win the presidency but Republicans must flip the Senate. Both look imminent. Even better is the probability that a 60-vote majority may be possible. It is simply a “make sense” idea that benefits most of the country. RNC needs to make it a focal point in the upcoming convention.

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