{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://stansbury.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-stansbury-davids-bonamici-and-senators-kim-and-merkley-introduce-talents", "Reps. Stansbury, Davids, Bonamici and Senators Kim and Merkley Introduce TALENTS Act to Protect and Strengthen Federal Leadership Pipeline", "2025-12-16", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "NM", "Melanie A. Stansbury", "S001218", "stansbury.house.gov", "stansbury", "https://stansbury.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Reps. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Sharice Davids (D-KS), and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) today announced the introduction of the Training Aspiring Leaders Emerging Now to Serve (TALENTS) Act, to codify and strengthen the Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) Program\u2014one of the federal government\u2019s premier leadership development initiatives.\n\nSince 1977, the PMF Program has served as a cornerstone of federal workforce development, placing a highly accomplished cohort of emerging leaders into government agencies each year. The program has been a vital pipeline to strengthen public service and elevate the next generation of civil service leaders. However, in February, President Trump terminated the program through executive order after more than four decades of existence.\n\n\u201cWithout the Presidential Management Fellows Program, I likely would not have ended up in federal service,\u201d said Congresswoman Stansbury. The PMF Program has long served as a pipeline for the next generation of federal leaders, bringing highly qualified talent from across the country to serve our nation. I am proud to colead this legislation to restore and build upon this program at a time when we need America\u2019s best and brightest to address the challenges we face.\u201d\n\n\u201cPrograms like the Presidential Management Fellows are how we bring the next generation of talented public servants into government,\u201d said Rep. Davids (D-KS). \u201cIt also gives federal agencies a pool of highly qualified, pre-vetted candidates, saving them time and resources in hiring. Gutting this pipeline doesn\u2019t make government work better for everyday Americans \u2014 it makes it weaker and harder to navigate. This bill keeps that pipeline intact so we can continue bringing top talent into public service, and I\u2019m glad to support it.\u201d\n\n\"Creating more pathways for post-graduate students to enter into public service will benefit our country for generations to come,\u201d said Rep. Bonamici (D-OR).\u201cThe late President Carter created the Presidential Management Fellowship Program more than four decades ago to encourage and support talented young professionals from all walks of life who want to pursue a career in public service. I enthusiastically join Congresswoman Stansbury and our Senate counterparts on this legislation to put the PMF program into law so these opportunities continue for future generations.\u201d\n\nThe companion legislation is led in the Senate by Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR).\n\n\u201cI\u2019m a proud alumnus of the PMF program. I\u2019ve seen the impact it can have on young people who just want to give back to their community,\u201d said Senator Kim. \u201cCreating these pathways to serve is bigger than politics, it helps ensure the next generation is working to build a better future for us all, and that\u2019s why we need this program codified into the law. I\u2019m grateful to see this effort now in the House thanks to Representatives Stansbury, Bonamici, and Davids so we can have a bicameral push to get this done.\u201d\n\nThe legislation is endorsed by the Partnership for Public Service, The Volcker Alliance, and the Presidential Management Alumni Association (PMAA).\n\n\u201cFor almost fifty years, the PMF was the government\u2019s premier early-career on ramp program, launching the careers of thousands of our most decorated public servants,\u201d said Sara Mogulescu, President, The Volcker Alliance. \u201cIts cancellation earlier this year undermines our nation\u2019s proud legacy of service and chokes off a key source of skilled professionals that agencies need to meet their commitments to Americans. The TALENTS Act is an important step toward restoring the PMF program and investing in the next generation of government leaders.\u201d\n\n\u201cCongresswoman Stansbury\u2019s initiative restarts a professional development program for future public service leaders to prepare to address the nation\u2019s daunting public management challenges that are headed our way. This forward looking legislation will effectively reestablish the American tradition to select future public service leaders based on merit and experience to a professional calling inspired by motivation to serve the nation\u2019s citizens as the primary aspiration,\" said Former NASA Administrator and Secretary of the Navy Sean O\u2019Keefe. O'Keefe was a member of the 1978 inaugural class of the Presidential Management Intern Program, and has since retired from federal service after several public management experiences.\n\n\u201cOur country faces significant challenges, and our federal government will need the talents of future federal leaders to solve them,\u201d said The Partnership for Public Service. \u201cThe Partnership for Public Service applauds the introduction of the TALENTS Act and thanks Rep. Melanie Stansbury for championing a path to service for the next generation of federal workers.\u201d\n\nThe PMF Program has long been a flagship leadership development initiative, placing a cohort of a few hundred individuals into government agencies each year following a competitive and rigorous selection process. At the end of their two-year fellowship, many Fellows go on to become high-ranking federal officials. The TALENTS Act would codify the regulations that structured the PMF Program for over four decades, prevent it from being eliminated by presidential executive orders, make targeted improvements to the program, and strengthen Congress\u2019s role in supporting and protecting it.\n\nThe TALENTS Act would place the PMF Program into statute to prevent its elimination by executive action, reinforce congressional oversight, and implement targeted improvements to ensure the federal government continues to attract and retain top public service talent.\n\nThe bill text can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://stansbury.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-stansbury-davids-bonamici-and-senators-kim-and-merkley-introduce-talents"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.282223965972662, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}