    [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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