To provide that the special Government employee managing the Department of Government Efficiency shall be liable for any claims against the Federal Government related to Department activities, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Stansbury (for herself and Mr. Raskin) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill makes the special government employee who manages the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) personally liable for any legal claims against the federal government that result from DOGE'''s activities. The bill strips away the normal legal protections (sovereign immunity) that government officials typically enjoy, meaning this individual could be sued and held financially responsible for DOGE actions that violate federal laws.
Who Benefits and How
Federal workers and labor unions benefit from this bill. Federal employees gain a new legal avenue to sue and recover damages if DOGE violates their privacy, labor rights, or job protections. Labor unions can bring claims on behalf of members whose jobs or rights are threatened by DOGE activities. Plaintiffs''' attorneys also benefit by gaining access to a new category of high-value litigation against a potentially wealthy defendant.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The primary burden falls on the special government employee managing DOGE - specifically, the individual referenced in the bill'''s title. This person would face unlimited personal financial liability for any DOGE actions that violate federal labor laws, data privacy laws, appropriations laws, or threaten national security. This makes the position extremely risky from a personal financial standpoint. More broadly, private sector executives would face significantly higher barriers to accepting temporary government advisory positions if similar personal liability provisions became common.
Key Provisions
- Creates personal liability for DOGE'''s manager for any claims against the federal government arising from DOGE activities
- Includes violations of federal labor laws, data privacy laws, national security threats, appropriations laws, and other statutes
- Uses the phrase "notwithstanding any other provision of law" to override normal sovereign immunity protections
- Applies to DOGE "or any successor thereof" to prevent circumvention through reorganization
- Targets special government employees as defined in 18 U.S.C. 202(a), which covers temporary federal employees serving fewer than 130 days per year
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Makes the special government employee managing the Department of Government Efficiency personally liable for claims against the Federal Government arising from the Department's activities.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Create personal financial liability for private sector individuals serving in temporary government advisory roles to deter acceptance of such positions or alter behavior while serving"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Federal employees whose jobs might be affected by DOGE activities
- Individuals who might bring claims against the federal government for DOGE-related harms
- Labor unions representing federal workers
Likely Burden Bearers
- Special government employees managing DOGE
- Private sector executives serving in temporary government advisory positions
- The specific individual referenced in the bill's title
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_special_government_employee"
- → Special government employee managing or otherwise in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency (or any successor thereof) within the Executive Office of the President
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
As defined in section 202(a) of title 18, United States Code - typically refers to temporary or intermittent government employees serving not more than 130 days during any period of 365 consecutive days
A department or entity (or any successor thereof) within the Executive Office of the President that is managed by a special government employee
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology