Federal workers face removal over civics test unrelated to their jobs

What it does

This bill requires all federal civilian career employees to pass the U.S. citizenship naturalization test as a condition of employment. New hires must pass before appointment; current employees must pass within one year; and all career employees must pass a 20-question annual test or face discipline up to removal. The Office of Personnel Management will administer the test using the same civics questions given to immigrants seeking citizenship.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a new mandatory civics test for federal employees, administered annually with removal as the penalty for failure. It is a condition-of-employment statute, not a deregulation, subsidy, or commemorative measure.

What the text implies

• The bill does not define what 'civics competency' means for any specific federal job; it simply imports the immigration naturalization test, which measures knowledge of U.S. history and government structure but not job-specific competence.
• Annual testing with a 75% pass rate (15/20) on a random sample creates a statistical risk of failure even for employees who know the material; repeated failures trigger removal, making job tenure dependent on test-taking luck.
• The bill applies to all career employees regardless of role—a data analyst, accountant, or IT specialist faces the same civics test as a policy advisor—suggesting the test is a loyalty/knowledge signal rather than a job-performance measure.
• No exemption for employees with disabilities or language barriers; the bill does not address accommodation or alternative assessment methods, potentially creating disparate impact on protected groups.
• The annual testing requirement creates ongoing administrative burden and cost (OPM must maintain systems, provide study materials, report to Congress) with no stated public benefit or performance outcome.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Federal employees—ordinary citizens—face a new condition of employment with removal as the penalty for failure, creating job insecurity and a novel loyalty/knowledge test unrelated to job performance. The bill does not establish that the test measures competence for any specific federal role, only that it measures civics knowledge required for immigration naturalization.

Named in the bill

Office of Personnel Management (OPM), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Federal career employees, Competitive service, Immigration and Nationality Act Section 312(a)(2)

Where it stands

• Jan 15, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jan 15, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.