House bill from Rep. Neguse seeks to prevent job cuts at Interior and Forest Service agencies

Authored by Rep. Joe Neguse, new legislation in the U.S. House would safeguard federal personnel from reductions in force, except in cases tied to employee misconduct or inadequate performance, according to the U.S. Congress.

H.R.8523 was submitted on April 27, 2026, during the 2026 regular session of the 119th Congress. Below is a summary based on the text of the measure, which may include clarification for easier understanding.

The proposal broadly prohibits reductions in force or involuntary terminations at the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service from enactment through September 30, 2030. It bars federal funding for these purposes unless advance notification and clearance is received from both the House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders. Employees covered include those in the competitive service, nonpolitical excepted service, and Senior Executive Service, while terminations are permitted exclusively for misconduct, delinquency, or subpar performance.

The legislation was introduced by Rep. Joe Neguse (Democrat-CO-2nd District) with support from Rep. Jared Huffman (Democrat-CO-2nd District) as co-sponsor.

Since the start of this session, Rep. Neguse has sponsored an additional 67 bills.

Most bills in Congress can begin in either the House or Senate, while revenue bills must originate in the House. Following introduction, proposals are assigned to committees for analysis, hearings, edits and debate before they may reach a floor vote in each chamber. Both houses must pass matching versions before the legislation is sent to the president, who then may sign or veto it. Congress is organized into two-year terms, sequentially numbered, each split into two annual sessions. The U.S. Congress oversees the process and publishes official records through Congress.gov.

Joseph Neguse, representing Colorado, began his term as a Democrat in the 116th Congress on Jan. 3, 2019, and has since served during four consecutive Congresses. He earned his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Neguse also served on the university’s board of regents from 2009 to 2015 and was the executive director of Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies from 2015 to 2017.

Information in this article was obtained from the U.S. Congress. The source data can be found here.