Supporting Federal Workers

Floor Speech

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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Labor Caucus comes today to oppose the Trump administration's unlawful and unconstitutional attacks on Federal workers.

Our Federal workforce has the experience and expertise that America needs. We must protect the public. The air that we breathe, the water we drink, the medicine we take, and the food that we eat hangs in the balance.

This fight is too important. We cannot allow the Trump administration to replace a competitive merit system with a political spoils system. That is why we will keep fighting in Congress and the courts. I have my colleagues with me today who have come to express their concerns.

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Mr. IVEY. Schakowsky).

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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her remarks.
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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his remarks.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez).

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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. McClain Delaney).

Mrs. McCLAIN DELANEY. Mr. Speaker, as a proud member of the Labor Caucus, I rise today to stand up against the administration's actions against our 2.2 million Federal workers, including 35,000 of them in the Sixth District of Maryland.

America's greatest asset is its people, and our dedicated civil servants are no exception.

I am so deeply troubled by the administration and Elon Musk's efforts and actions to access every Americans' data and to more importantly access the U.S. Treasury Department's Federal payment system, including U.S. taxpayers' confidential financial information to slash critical Federal programs and to threaten the termination of thousands of Federal workers.

I am even greater alarmed by the Trump administration's flagrant efforts to seek political retribution against Federal agents for past investigations, including investigating the violence that occurred on January 6.

Many Members feared for their lives that day, and insurrectionists violently assaulted officers tasked with protecting the people here in this building. Now, these agents are at risk for losing their livelihoods for following the law and doing their jobs.

All of this follows the Trump administration's OMB directive to illegally freeze congressionally approved Federal funding and its letter to more than 2 million Federal employees offering a buyout from service. I implore you, do not take that buyout. It is not to be trusted.

As the buyout letter says, we are truly at a fork in the road. Do we defend American workers and our institutions or gut the Federal agencies of the knowledge that fuels American innovation and strengthens our national security?

These attacks strike at the bedrock of our American values and represent an unprecedented power grab that undermines our democracy's checks and balances.

Many of these actions have not been authorized by Congress and rightfully belong under its purview.

While I have long believed in seeking common ground when governing, I must now stand my ground for the 35,000 government employees in my district and countless more across the country looking now for Congress to take action.

Yesterday, I joined a briefing with several colleagues from Virginia, Maryland, and other places along with members of AFGE, AFSCME, Democracy Forward, NTEU, IFPTE, NARFE, NFFE, and AFL-CIO in conjunction to develop an action plan to better defend our workers at USAID, at DOL, at the Department of Education, at NOAA, and so many other agencies under imminent threat of mandated leave, termination, or closure.

In closing, from NIST to Fort Detrick to our National Fire Academy in the Sixth District, Federal workers in Maryland are counting on us, the people in this Chamber and in our communities, to stand up and speak up for them.
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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Landsman).

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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Casten).

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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congressman for his remarks.

Brown.)
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Mr. IVEY. Hoyle).

Mr. KENNEDY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I first thank Congressman Ivey for putting this together here today and for his leadership.

I rise today to stand in unwavering solidarity with the hardworking men and women of our Federal workforce.

As a member of the Labor Caucus, I am proud to support the public servants who dedicate their lives to keeping our country running, including the 8,500 Federal employees who call my district home.

These workers are not faceless bureaucrats. They are the backbone of our communities. They are our neighbors, and they are our friends. They process veterans' benefits, ensure Social Security checks go out on time, make Medicare payments to our seniors' physicians, ensure our air and water are clean, keep our Nation safe, and much, much more.

Yet, right now, they are under attack from a President who has outsourced his own power to a billionaire hell-bent on dismantling our government to serve his own greed.

The administration and so-called Department of Government Efficiency are purging career professionals, politicizing civil service, and handing over even more power to the ultrawealthy.

I have been hearing from constituents all week, and this is not what people in my community and across America want.

They do not want an unelected billionaire who, I might add, has made billions off taxpayer-funded contracts to actively weaken our government.

They do not want an unelected billionaire to create a system where the rules don't apply to him and democracy takes a back seat to his own profits.

They do not want an unelected billionaire to attack our Federal workers whose love for our country keeps our communities safe and our society functioning.

We will not stand by while they buck the rule of law to dismantle the very institutions that protect hardworking families, seniors, veterans, and our democracy.

Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker. This is an attack on Federal workers that will allow those at the highest levels of our government and their billionaire buddies to exploit the concerns of our constituents, take power away from the people, and enrich themselves at the expense of hardworking families in America.

America's civil service is a pillar of our society, and we will defend it.

I say to the Federal workforce: Thank you for your service. We have your back. We will fight for your jobs, your dignity, and the services that millions of Americans rely on.

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Mr. IVEY. Balint).

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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words.

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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words.

Elfreth).
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Mr. IVEY. Tokuda).

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Mr. IVEY. Dexter).

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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, a few hours ago, I stood with members of unions, employees at the Department of Labor, and people walking down the street who saw what we were doing and wanted to join in and support the cause.

As I stood out there and spoke in favor of the efforts they were making to be heard, to protect their jobs and protect their ability to work for the American people, it reminded me of my father who had worked in that same building four decades ago until he was forced out during the Reagan administration.

To my colleagues who were there today, I thank them for joining. To the employees who were out there, I say this: I lived through what you are going through right now and I understand. For that reason, I recommit myself to working hard to protect your rights, to make sure that you don't get forced out of government, even though you haven't done anything wrong.

You have the experience and the expertise to do the work that the American people need, and we want to make sure that you have a chance to continue to do that.

I thank the Congressional Labor Caucus as well for standing up and making sure that we continue to fight here in Congress to protect their rights.

Lastly, I thank all of those people out there, whether they are union members or attorneys or employees, who are fighting every day to get their point across and make sure that we are heard by the Trump administration. Thank you for what you are doing. I urge you to continue to do the work that you are doing because it is making a difference.

The Trump administration has made many moves. Many of them have been, in my view, unlawful and unconstitutional, especially the ones that are impacting the employee rights that these government employees have earned over the decades, like my father who joined the Department of Labor after his service in the Air Force. They deserve to be treated fairly, with respect, and with recognition of the legal rights that they deserve to have.

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