Stop Stealing Our Jobs Act

SI-generated grade · five published checks · not individually reviewed by a person · methodology

This bill is constitutional. It restricts executive branch authority to remove federal employees during a government shutdown, which is a permissible exercise of Congress's power to structure the federal government and appropriate funds. It does not infringe on any constitutional rights, respects individual sovereignty, and appropriately keeps decision-making at the federal level where the civil service is established.

• ✓ Passes · Enumerated powers
  Congress has broad authority over the federal civil service under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 (the Necessary and Proper Clause) and its exclusive power of the purse under Article I, Section 9, Clause 7. This bill is a direct exercise of Congress's power to structure the executive branch and limit the President's removal power over non-political appointees, consistent with precedents such as Mo…
• ✓ Passes · Bill of Rights
  The bill does not implicate any of the first ten amendments. It does not restrict speech, religion, assembly, press, petition, arms, quartering, search and seizure, self-incrimination, due process, takings, trial rights, or cruel and unusual punishment. It merely regulates the employment status of federal employees during a funding lapse.
• ✓ Passes · Individual sovereignty
  The bill does not restrict the personal liberty or property rights of individuals. It protects federal employees from removal during a shutdown, which is a benefit to their employment security. It does not impose any burden on individual autonomy; rather, it preserves the status quo for non-political employees.
• ✓ Passes · Decentralization
  This bill concerns the federal civil service, which is inherently a federal matter. The questions are answered as follows: (1) Individuals cannot handle this—federal employment is a government function; (2) local communities cannot handle this—the civil service is nationwide; (3) states cannot handle this—the federal government's own workforce is at issue; (4) the bill does not consolidate power u…
• ✓ Passes · Due process and takings
  The bill does not deprive anyone of life, liberty, or property without due process. It actually provides additional procedural protection to federal employees by preventing their removal during a shutdown. It does not involve any taking of private property for public use. The bill is a valid exercise of Congress's authority to define the terms of federal employment.

Sources: Congress.gov: HR 5676 summary