Pfluger’s 100th Bill Targets Federal Employee Resistance

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) has introduced his 100th piece of legislation: the Stop Resistance Activities by Federal Employees (STRAFE) Act, a bill designed to prevent career federal bureaucrats from actively resisting the directives and policies of a presidential administration.

The legislation aims to uphold democratic governance by ensuring that federal employees abide by the decisions of the American people, as voiced by their elected President.

"Career unelected bureaucrats cannot be allowed to undermine the agenda of any future President," said Congressman Pfluger. "We must ensure that the network of federal employees that brazenly carried out resistance activities under the first Trump Administration is not unleashed again."

The STRAFE Act outlines a framework to mitigate resistance within federal agencies, ensuring a more cooperative and compliant federal workforce. The provisions of the Act are as follows:

• Training for Federal Employees: Mandates specific training for federal employees that clearly outlines prohibited activities intended to obstruct or undermine the directives of the sitting administration.
• Penalties: Introduces penalties, on par with Hatch Act violations, for federal employees who engage in resistance activities against the administration.
• Independent Complaint Process: Establishes an external complaint reporting process, bypassing the traditional Inspector General channels within agencies, to ensure a more transparent system.
• Reporting to the Executive Office of the President: Requires periodic reports from each federal agency to the Executive Office of the President, providing updates on complaints and status of actions taken against those engaging in resistance activities.

The STRAFE Act addresses concerns that have arisen since reports of coordinated resistance by federal employees surfaced during the first Trump Administration. These activities, documented by multiple sources, included withholding information from appointees, deliberately slowing policy implementation, insubordination, and leaking sensitive information to the media.

This will prevent numerous career bureaucrats from deliberately opposing directives, particularly in agencies such as the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Text of the bill is available here.