HR1145-119

Introduced

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.

119th Congress Introduced Feb 7, 2025

Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.

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 generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.

At a Glance

What This Bill Does

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.

Who Benefits

  • 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

Who Bears Costs

  • Special government employees managing DOGE
  • Private sector executives serving in temporary government advisory positions
  • The specific individual referenced in the bill's title

Key Policy Areas

Government Operations, Administrative Law, Civil Liability

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

Government Operations Administrative Law Civil Liability

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"

Identified Gains

  • 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

Identified Costs

  • Special government employees managing DOGE
  • Private sector executives serving in temporary government advisory positions
  • The specific individual referenced in the bill's title

Legislative Progress

Introduced
Introduced Committee Passed
Feb 7, 2025

Ms. Stansbury (for herself and Mr. Raskin) introduced the following …

Stakeholder Effects

cui bono?

How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.

Labor
2 mentions across 1 clause
+2 positive

Federal employees whose data privacy might be violated by DOGE, Federal workers protected by labor laws

Government
1 mention across 1 clause
-1 negative

Special government employees managing Department of Government Efficiency

Business Executives
1 mention across 1 clause
-1 negative

Private sector executives considering temporary government service

Professional Services
1 mention across 1 clause
+1 positive

Plaintiffs' attorneys handling federal employment claims

1/2
sections analyzed
Full impact breakdown

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Government Operations Civil Liability Federal Employment Law
Actor Mappings
"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

2 terms
"special Government employee" §2

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

"Department of Government Efficiency" §2_department

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