Congress locks in 60-year-old leadership program in law, protecting it from executive whim.
H.R. 10265 — White House Fellows Program Authorization Act · Filed by Clay Fuller (R-GA) · Introduced Sep 3, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill converts the White House Fellows Program—a 60-year-old executive initiative that gives talented young Americans a year-long apprenticeship in federal government—from an executive order into a statute. It codifies the program's structure, sets selection criteria (11–19 fellows per year, U.S. citizens early in their careers, nonpartisan), establishes a 30-member presidential commission to oversee recruitment and placement, and authorizes funding through 2031. No new powers are granted; the bill simply locks in existing practice in law.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole function is to convert an existing executive program into statutory law, establishing a permanent legal foundation for a merit-based fellowship. It is a routine administrative codification with no deregulatory, tax, or subsidy component.
What the text implies
- Codification locks the program into a specific structure (11–19 fellows, 12-month terms, General Schedule pay), making future expansions or structural changes require new legislation rather than executive discretion.
- Mandatory annual congressional reporting creates a transparency mechanism that did not exist under executive order alone, enabling legislative oversight of selection criteria and agency assignments.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill stabilizes a merit-based, nonpartisan leadership-development program open to all U.S. citizens, protecting it from arbitrary termination and ensuring transparent selection criteria.