Senior Executives Association releases policy agenda for 120th Congress

The Senior Executives Association has unveiled a bipartisan policy agenda for the 120th Congress aimed at strengthening the career Senior Executive Service and the broader federal workforce. The board-approved proposal comes before the Nov. 3 midterm elections and seeks statutory reforms that could outlast the next administration.

Why it matters: - The Senior Executives Association’s agenda lays out changes that could affect how the federal government recruits, manages and holds accountable senior career leaders. - The proposal is aimed at making civil service rules more stable across administrations. - SEA says the reforms are meant to help senior executives carry out laws passed by Congress and priorities set by the president in office.

What happened: - SEA released A Policy Agenda for the 120th Congress on Oct. 27, 2026. - SEA's Board of Directors unanimously approved the agenda. - The association released the agenda before the Nov. 3 midterm elections so lawmakers and staff can use it while setting priorities for the next Congress. - The full agenda is available online.

The details: - The agenda has two parts. - Part one focuses on the Senior Executive Service. - The agenda asks Congress to define in statute which senior management positions are career reserved. - It also calls for faster and clearer processes to address executive performance and misconduct, while keeping due process protections intact. - The agenda seeks renewed investment in the pipeline of future senior leaders. - Part two focuses on the broader civil service. - The recommendations include preserving the independence of the Merit Systems Protection Board. - The agenda calls for modernizing federal hiring. - It also seeks action on pay compression among senior employees. - The agenda says federal employees should be paid on schedule during a lapse in appropriations. - SEA also proposes a nonpartisan National Commission on Government and Civil Service Modernization.

Between the lines: - The agenda is written to appeal to both parties, which reflects SEA's role as a nonpartisan professional association. - The timing suggests SEA wants to shape early 120th Congress workforce debates before partisan priorities harden. - The push for statutory changes points to a desire to lock in reforms across administrations, not just through executive action.

What's next: - SEA plans to present the agenda to the congressional committees that oversee the federal workforce. - The association says those discussions will begin in the first weeks of the new Congress. - SEA will also work with members of both parties on broader civil service reforms after the election.

The bottom line: - SEA is pressing Congress to make the federal career workforce more durable, more accountable and less vulnerable to political swings.