A bicameral pair of Republican legislators has introduced legislation that they say will restore presidential authority to reorganize the Federal government and eliminate agencies.
The Reorganizing Government Act of 2025 introduced on Feb. 13 by House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, proposes to ensure “Congress takes an up or down vote” on reorganization plans submitted by President Trump.
According to the two lawmakers, the president hasn’t had the authority to reorganize government since 1984.
Their bill would restore those abilities through December 2026 while requiring Congress to vote on Trump reorganization plans within 90 days of their submission using an expedited process that cannot be filibustered.
The legislation would also prohibit reorganization plans that increase the size of the Federal workforce or expenditures.
“The federal bureaucracy has grown dramatically in size and scope, creating unnecessary red tape,” said Rep. Comer in a statement. “We must cut through the inefficiency and streamline government to improve service delivery and save taxpayers money. Congress can fast-track President Trump’s government reorganization plans by renewing a key tool to approve them swiftly in Congress.”
According to the legislation’s wording, the reauthorized presidential power would be vested to eliminate “unnecessary and burdensome rules, regulations, and other requirements” and “government operations that do not serve the public interest” within the Federal government.
“This legislation allows the President to use his constitutional authority as Chief Executive to reorganize federal agencies, eliminate weaponization, and right-size the government to better serve the American people,” said Sen. Lee in a statement. “Reauthorizing presidential reorganization authority is the most comprehensive tool that the President can use to restore good governance to Washington.”
The legislation comes as the Trump administration, led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has made pushes to downsize the Federal government, including shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), moving to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and terminating contracts entered into by the Department of Education.
