Rep. Tim Ryan Proposes Bill to Decentralize Federal Government

"We have a lot more employees in the federal government than we ever imagined as a country, and we are in a position where a good number of these jobs don't necessarily need to be in Washington, D.C.," the Ohio Democrat told the Examiner.

Ryan's plan would set up a commission to recommend federal employees to relocate outside of Washington, D.C. by the fall of 2019. 

"You're not going to want to take a [Cabinet] secretary and necessarily move them to Youngstown," Ryan told the Examiner. "The headquarters may need to remain at Washington, D.C., but what backroom operations, what agencies within the department could be located in [another] city?"

There were more than 2 million federal employees in 2016, with 136,377 working in Virginia and 130,402 in Maryland according to Governing Magazine. The vast majority of all federal employees — about 79 percent — work outside the D.C. region.

Ryan said he hopes moving 10 percent of the 300,000 would revive certain parts of the country. 

"Even if you could move 10 percent of the 300,000 — back of the envelope — say you could move 30,000 jobs and you can move them a thousand at a time," Ryan said. "I can't tell you what that would do for the city of Youngstown or Gary, Indiana, or Milwaukee. And you put it downtown, and you stimulate other investment that could happen in those areas, and it could be a huge boon for these communities."

• Wash Post: White House Calling for 1.9% Raise for Federal Workers
• Rep. Elijah Cummings: Federal Workers Should Be Trained, Not Fired