Rep. Nancy Mace Introduces Bill To Ban Non-Citizens From The Federal Workforce

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 29, 2026) - Today, Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC-01) introduced the Hire American Act, a bill doing exactly what its title says: hire American workers only. The legislation amends title 5 of the United States Code to restrict federal government employment to U.S. citizens and nationals only.

The Hire American Act sends a clear message: American taxpayers fund the federal government. American workers should be the only ones running it.

"American taxpayers foot the bill for every single federal job in this country. Every salary. Every benefit. Every pension. Those jobs belong to American workers, not non-citizens," said Congresswoman Mace. "Right now, there is no permanent law stopping a non-citizen from being hired by a federal agency or put on the federal payroll. Our bill ends this. If you want to work for the American government, you need to be an American citizen. Period."

The Hire American Act requires all federal employees to be U.S. citizens or nationals, including employees of the U.S. Postal Service and the Postal Regulatory Commission. Prior to any appointment, individuals must sign an affidavit attesting to their citizenship status, and the hiring agency must verify their citizenship. Anyone who lies on the affidavit faces up to a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.

Right now, there is no comprehensive federal law requiring citizenship as a baseline condition of federal employment. The Hire American Act closes this gap once and for all.

The bill includes four narrow exceptions for temporary translators, emergency field workers, international broadcasters, and nonresident alien wildland firefighters under existing country agreements.

The Office of Personnel Management must issue implementation guidance to all federal agencies within 180 days and report to Congress on the number of current non-citizen federal employees disaggregated by agency and position. Americans deserve to know exactly how many non-citizens are on the federal payroll and in which agencies.

"The American people are tired of a government working against them. They deserve to know the people running federal agencies, handling their data, and accessing classified information are Americans first. This bill makes sure of it," added Mace.

SEE BILL TEXT BELOW:

###