[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 200 (Tuesday, December 5, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H6113-H6114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        POLITICAL VINDICTIVENESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, many years ago there was a rule adopted 
called the Holman rule. It allows the arbitrary and capricious cutting 
of a salary if you don't agree with what the person does. It is 
somewhat like if the Speaker of the House, who didn't like a vote of 
one of the Members, could cut their salary to $1. Now, there are a 
number of citizens who would probably like that, but in fact it would 
be unfair, capricious, and undermining of our democracy.
  Punishing someone for a difference of opinion is the antithesis of 
American democracy. For years, however, Republicans have made it their 
policy to vilify Federal workers. The Holman rule is their tool of 
choice. They use it as an instrument of political vengeance to cut the 
salaries of specific Federal officials who don't share their partisan 
agenda; not for misfeasance or malfeasance, but because they didn't 
agree.
  In the past 2 months, Republicans used the Holman rule to advance 64 
amendments targeting individual Federal workers. Fifty-five of those 
were voted on. Two were withdrawn, and all 53 were defeated. What it is 
is essentially pandering to their rightwing, to allow their rightwing 
to pretend that they are doing policy. Every one of them has been 
defeated by over 250 votes.
  They have wasted over 9 hours of floor time on these pointless 
amendments, time that we could have and should have spent funding our 
government, time that we should have spent funding Ukraine, our ally, 
which is under siege from a dictator who has broken international law. 
Yet, we vote on reducing salaries to $1. How capricious.
  They are about settling political vendettas. It is sheer, petty, and 
irrational political posturing.
  Among those Federal officials singled out were the FDA officials 
tasked with ensuring the safety of America's medicine and food. There 
was no finding that they weren't doing that properly. It was just 
because they didn't like the policy.
  Others were Federal employees who administer crucial food assistance 
programs and other services upon which American people rely.
  Mr. Speaker, Republicans also took aim at DOD, Homeland Security, 
cybersecurity, and infrastructure security agencies. These men and 
women are in charge of promoting military readiness, gathering vital 
intelligence, and protecting our national security. There were no 
arguments that they weren't performing those services. It was that 
Republicans didn't like the policies.
  Trying to eliminate their pay signals to America and to the world 
that their essential work, their services don't matter. It also gives 
the answer to what Texas Congressman Chip Roy said, that the 
Republicans have not done anything. Chip Roy, a Republican, a 
conservative.
  Republicans attack Federal employees only to advance extreme policies 
that are out of step with the American people, from restricting 
reproductive care to undermining diversity and inclusion efforts. Their 
vindictive behavior is nothing new.
  In 2017, House Republicans tried using the Holman rule to eliminate 
one-third of the Congressional Budget Office's staff, a nonpartisan, 
impartial agency. Why? It was because they didn't like the scores their 
bills were receiving. They didn't say they were wrong, but they said 
they didn't like them, and they had a way to go beyond them to fund 
projects they wanted to fund or policies they wanted to pursue.
  The people responsible for government oversight and transparency 
should not have to face reprisals for their thorough and objective 
work. That is no way to run a country. No business on Earth would 
conduct itself in this way. No employer that threatens to cut its 
employees' pay to $1 on a whim can expect to recruit and retain top 
talent. They would simply walk out the door, and properly so.
  The Holman rule is not only vindictive, as I said, but it endangers 
our democracy and our separation of powers. It is part of the politics 
of vindictiveness, the so-called revenge tour President Trump promises 
to unleash on

[[Page H6114]]

America. It is just another way he and his followers can, in his own 
words, and I quote Mr. Trump: ``root out the . . . radical left thugs 
that live like vermin within the confines of our country.''
  What kind of rhetoric is that? What kind of objective is that for 
somebody who might responsibly be the head of the greatest government 
on Earth?
  Though these amendments have no chance of becoming law, we must not 
ignore them.
  They force our Government to serve the political interests of their 
authors.
  Instead, we must allow our Government to serve the people.
  Thank you, and I yield back.

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