[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             SUPPORTING DEI

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Cisneros) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CISNEROS. Mr. Speaker, I originally came to the floor today 
because I was dismayed by the President's continued assault on 
diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  The Department of Defense, the State Department, and countless other 
agencies have been instructed to no longer recognize Black History 
Month as part of a broad order to pause all activities and events 
related to ``special observances.'' It is because the President is 
trying to scrub our government and our country of its history and its 
diversity.
  Our diversity is our power, and the President is threatened by that 
power. That is why he wants our country and our government to fit his 
narrowminded view of what it should be like.
  We know who President Trump is. Barely coded racist rhetoric is his 
standard practice. The disgusting comments the President made, blaming 
the tragic crash at Reagan National Airport on DEI, were just the 
latest example. It is sickening, inflammatory, and pathetic.
  We should all be clear-eyed about what the President is doing. While 
the President has picked up right where he left off with his racist and 
xenophobic attacks, it is part of a broader mission by him and shadow 
president Elon Musk to dismantle and destroy our government.
  Since last Friday, Elon's acolytes, none of whom are government 
employees and by all appearances have no understanding of how our 
government even works, have been installed and have taken over at the 
State Department, the U.S. Treasury, the Office of Personnel 
Management, the General Services Administration, and the U.S. Agency 
for International Development.
  Here is what they have done. They have downloaded the most sensitive 
personal information of millions of Americans to private servers. They 
have taken possession of all financial and personal information of 
everyone who does business with the Federal Government. They are taking 
control of security systems, personnel files, and intelligence reports 
that pertain to thousands upon thousands of U.S. Government workers 
operating overseas, many of whom are in classified roles.
  This is all to say that we are witnessing a coup of our government. 
Without any legal authority, robber baron Elon Musk has embedded 
himself in our government, unlawfully obtained information that affects 
millions of Americans, and tasked himself with carrying out President 
Trump's grievances against his political enemies, not to mention the 
President has already fired over a dozen January 6 Federal prosecutors, 
begun to scrutinize the perceived loyalty of thousands of rank-and-file 
FBI agents, and invalidated the contracts of thousands of government 
employees.
  Again, we are witnessing the power grab of two men who idolize 
dictators and who are now playing at being one.
  This is a coup. The American people will not stand for this. They 
will not. I have heard from my constituents who have called my office, 
expressing their outrage at the criminality and corruption. I plan to 
do everything I can at every opportunity to call out the President and 
Elon Musk for what they are doing.
  I ask my Republican colleagues to actively examine what is going on, 
to sincerely ask themselves if this is acceptable. Throughout our 
country's history, our government has served to assist the people in 
their times of need, to act in service of the common good, and to work 
for the people. The President and Elon Musk are trying to make a 
mockery of that purpose. They are actively perverting that purpose to 
make the government act as a tool of retribution and to work against 
the people, specifically against their political enemies.

  That is not why I serve.
  Service and leadership are not about bending government to your own 
personal will. It is about civic duty and public service. It is about 
good people doing the right thing.
  I ask my Republican colleagues if they really think the President and 
Elon Musk are doing the right thing. It is time for the people of this 
House to speak up.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.

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