[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H774-H775]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              DEFENSE OF DEDICATED FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVANTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Harris of North Carolina). The Chair 
recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Kennedy) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KENNEDY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in defense of our 
dedicated Federal public servants in the face of the relentless attacks 
from President Trump and Elon Musk.
  Hardworking families in my district and people across the country are 
beginning to see this initiative for what it really is: a sham 
perpetrated by President Trump and run by an unelected billionaire, the 
richest person in the world, who has no idea how our government 
operates or what our public servants do for our communities.
  Trump and Musk's goal is to undermine people's faith in public 
services, gain access to sensitive government data, and ultimately give 
away trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the rich. We know their game, 
and we are not playing it.
  Last week, I met with union leaders who are representing our Federal 
workforce, including the American Federation of Government Employees, 
National Nurses United, the National Association of Letter Carriers, 
the American Postal Workers Union, and the Western New York Area Labor 
Federation.

[[Page H775]]

  I am deeply grateful for their work to empower our Federal workforce: 
our air traffic controllers, veteran healthcare practitioners, Social 
Security benefit experts, and so many more who provide the services and 
assistance hardworking families in our communities deserve and need.
  Their ability to continue doing so is under immense threat. Union 
leaders on the front lines painted a picture in which our Federal 
workers are living in fear of wrongful firings, receiving intimidating 
emails that are causing mass confusion, and receiving unclear 
directives from an administration that has no interest in the rule of 
law.
  These are workers who have dedicated their lives to public service. 
They help our parents and grandparents receive the Social Security that 
they have earned and rely on. They deliver world-class care to our 
veterans who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms. They keep our 
borders secure, our air and water clean, our airports and skies safe, 
and so much more. They deserve our gratitude, not to be subjected to 
this demeaning and cruel treatment, especially as they continue to 
deliver for hardworking families amid all of it.

  Mr. Speaker, I have also spoken to constituents who have been 
impacted by these wrongful cuts. A young man named Jeff Plummer spoke 
to me hours before being wrongfully fired from the Internal Revenue 
Service. Jeff received exemplary reviews of his work within the IRS 
Small Business/Self-Employed Division, which helps small businesses to 
comply with tax requirements, helping our regional economy to thrive.
  Due to the simple fact that he had worked for the IRS for less than 1 
year, he was terminated. He is among 6,000 IRS employees who have been 
wrongfully fired, all in the middle of tax season.
  Jeff and his fellow IRS employees are not alone. Our veterans are 
being directly harmed and discriminated against. They are experiencing 
real harm as the services they rely on are being decimated.
  Service-disabled veterans are among the 8,500 Federal employees in my 
district alone being attacked and dismissed for being DEI hires. I 
spoke with one disabled veteran who bled for our country and continued 
to serve as a Federal employee for nearly two decades. He received a 
title change in the last year, which automatically put him on 
probationary status. He was fired last week with absolutely no 
justification.
  These veterans feel demeaned and betrayed. It is unthinkable and 
shameful to treat our military heroes this way. It violates the sacred 
honor that we have to care for our veterans and provide the services 
and benefits that they have earned and that they deserve.
  I have spoken to constituents myself. I have heard the palpable fear 
and anxiety that our Federal workers are feeling, which makes it 
impossible to deliver the best quality care and services for taxpayers, 
from caring for veterans and seniors to protecting our environment.
  As egg prices are skyrocketing due to bird flu ravaging our farms, 
Trump and Musk have cut FDA and USDA employees, putting the health and 
well-being of our communities on the line.
  After we saw the first commercial airline crash in 16 years, there 
are FAA employees who are being fired. Their message each time: These 
employees weren't mission critical. Don't worry. You won't miss them.
  Tell that to the senior whose medicine is contaminated due to the 
lack of oversight, or to the airline passenger facing major delays 
because of a severe shortage of air traffic controllers.
  Meanwhile, unelected billionaire Elon Musk is celebrating on the 
world stage with a chain saw in his hand, bragging about the degrading 
treatment of our public servants, with no regard for the taxpayers who 
will suffer as a result because they cannot get the services that they 
rely on.
  Why wouldn't he celebrate? President Trump has illegally given him 
the keys to our Treasury, sensitive government data, and control of our 
Federal workforce. We won't let him take a chain saw to our Federal 
workforce without a fight. That is why we are speaking up and speaking 
out and holding those accountable. We ask our colleagues on the other 
side of the aisle to join in our fight.

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