    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 2025)]
    [House]
    [Page H893]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

            SENSELESS BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION WORKFORCE CUTS

      (Ms. SCHRIER asked and was given permission to address the House for
    1 minute.)
      Ms. SCHRIER. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of millions of people in
    Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, I rise to express outrage and
    bewilderment at the senseless workforce cuts by Elon Musk and President
    Trump to Bonneville Power Administration, an agency that is not even
    funded by taxpayer dollars but by our utility bills.
      Bonneville system operators keep the lights on. They match supply to
    demand, whether in a heat wave or a cold snap. They maintain the
    majority of our transmission lines so when we have a wind storm like
    our recent ones, their linemen go out and fix those lines in the worst
    weather. These specialized employees, frankly, are irreplaceable.
      The decision by Elon Musk and by the President to fire nearly 20
    percent of Bonneville workers in the name of efficiency and saving
    taxpayer dollars is not just wrongheaded. It is reckless and
    outrageous. It will make power less reliable and more expensive for our
    four States. In other words, it is all downside, no upside.
      We have now seen weeks of taking a chain saw to our Federal programs
    and damage to our grid, national forests, national security, and,
    frankly, personal security. It is time for Congress to take our power
    back and protect our constituents.

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