Congress moves to permanently ban federal workers who refuse to testify.
H.R. 9991 — STOP the SWAMP Act · Filed by Rich McCormick (R-GA) · Introduced Jul 30, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal law to impose two penalties on witnesses who refuse to answer questions during congressional investigations or are convicted of perjury: (1) criminal misdemeanor charges (fines of $100–$1,000 and 1–12 months jail), and (2) permanent debarment from federal employment. It also creates a fast-track congressional procedure allowing either chamber to rescind the salary and expenses of such a federal employee within 180 days via joint resolution, with expedited committee and floor votes and no filibuster delay.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to strengthen congressional subpoena enforcement and punish witness obstruction via criminal penalties and permanent employment debarment. The salary-rescission procedure is a secondary enforcement tool designed to bypass normal appropriations review.
What the text implies
- Permanent debarment from federal employment has no sunset, appeal pathway, or rehabilitation mechanism—a lifetime ban triggered by a single conviction or refusal, with no proportionality review or judicial discretion at the debarment stage (only post-hoc judicial review of the debarment decision itself).
- The salary-rescission procedure uses a joint resolution (which cannot be filibustered in the Senate and has expedited floor time) to claw back pay retroactively, bypassing the normal appropriations process and creating a parallel enforcement mechanism outside standard budget controls.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill strengthens congressional investigative power and accountability by penalizing witness obstruction and perjury—a public benefit. However, the debarment mechanism is permanent with no sunset, rehabilitation pathway, or proportionality check, and the salary-rescission procedure bypasses normal appropriations oversight, creating risk of weaponization against political opponents or whistleblowers who invoke privilege or refuse coercive questioning.