H.R. 428 — Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 2025

This section enhances the federal cost savings awards program (i.e., authorizes executive agencies to pay cash awards to employees, in addition to regular pay, for suggestions or disclosures leading to cost savings or addressing waste, fraud, or mismanagement) by defining "wasteful expenses" in 5 U.S.C. §4511(a)(2) as unnecessary funds in salaries and expenses, operations and maintenance, or equivalent accounts—as identified by an employee under §4512(a) and determined by the agency chief financial officer (CFO)—and authorizing cash awards of up to $20,000 (from $10,000) for such identifications resulting in agency cost savings. The section further amends 5 U.S.C. §4512 to (1) require agencies without a CFO to designate an employee for these determinations and to notify the President of qualifying wasteful expenses for proposed rescission under the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (thus, enabling potential congressional rescissions of identified funds); (2) direct agencies to report annually on meritorious wasteful expense disclosures and related awards, alongside Inventory of Government Property information under 31 U.S.C. §1116; (3) make agency Office of the Inspector General officers and employees, and those ineligible under 5 U.S.C. §4509, ineligible for awards; and (4) require the Office of Personnel Management to submit annual certifications of agency program compliance to Congress and the Comptroller General to report to Congress on program operations no later than three years after enactment of the Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 2025 and every three years thereafter through 2034.