Question 1

What does S22 do?

Accepted Answer

The Strategic Withdrawal of Agencies for Meaningful Placement Act (SWAMP Act) establishes a comprehensive framework for relocating the headquarters of federal Executive agencies outside the Washington metropolitan area through a competitive bidding process. The legislation fundamentally restructures the geographic distribution of federal administrative centers by prohibiting new or relocated agency headquarters from being situated in the District of Columbia and surrounding counties in Maryland and Virginia. The bill creates a market-based approach where states and their political subdivisions compete to host federal agencies based on economic impact, workforce capabilities, mission alignment, and national security considerations. While the Act applies broadly to Executive agencies as defined in title 5 of the United States Code, it carves out significant exceptions for agencies with critical national security functions, including the Department of Defense and its intelligence components, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, the intelligence community, and the Executive Office of the President. The legislation represents a major shift in federal administrative geography, potentially affecting dozens of agencies and thousands of federal employees while fundamentally altering the concentration of federal administrative power in the nation's capital.

Question 2

Who sponsored S22?

Accepted Answer

Joni Ernst

Question 3

What is the status of S22?

Accepted Answer

Introduced as of January 7, 2025.

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