    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 2025)]
    [Senate]
    [Page S1441]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

      Ms. ALSOBROOKS. Mr. President, I would like to use my time to
    highlight the attacks currently being thrown at our Federal workers and
    the unconscionable firings that are taking place.
      We have heard baseless and callous criticisms of our Federal workers
    from this administration for weeks now. They are wrong, and much of
    what they are built on is a lie. And they are dehumanizing.
      This is, in fact, a witch hunt. Our civil servants are among the best
    of what our Nation has to offer. They serve with no political
    motivation. Many have served for years under Democratic administrations
    and Republican administrations. They have one dedication: to their
    fellow Americans. It is a patriotic calling that they have all
    answered. They are not faceless villains. They are real people with
    real stories.
      People like a woman I spoke with who has served at the Department of
    Health and Human Services for over 35 years, she has been put on leave
    as a part of the President's Executive orders. For her and people like
    her, to be caught up in these partisan attacks is infuriating.
      The administration claims to be doing this in the name of efficiency.
    There is nothing efficient about gaining unauthorized access to private
    data and then blindly firing 5,200 employees across multiple Agencies.
    There is nothing competent about cutting the workforce without any
    thought about how it would impact operations.
      This is not efficient. This is senseless, and this is heartless.
      NIH is based in my State of Maryland, and many of the workers there
    are among the 150,000 civil servants who call Maryland home. Each one
    of them has made a commitment to public service. Each one of them is a
    civil servant that I am proud to represent. These abrupt and improper
    firings have shaken up the lives of thousands of dedicated workers who
    do not deserve this treatment. And what makes this even worse is that
    attacking our Federal workers doesn't just hurt them; it hurts all
    Americans, the people who rely on government programs to keep them
    healthy and safe.
      These aren't hypothetical concerns. These firings will have real-
    world consequences. Eliminating staff at NIH will delay the development
    and approval of lifesaving treatments. Cancer patients will have to
    wait longer for promising new treatments as clinical trials still stall
    due to staffing shortages. This will slowly eliminate research and
    medical intervention and weaken our standing in global biomedical
    science.
      Cuts to an already understaffed CMS workforce will hurt patient care.
    We will see disruptions in medically necessary care and delays in
    payments to hospitals and other healthcare providers. Firing staff at
    HHS will cripple our ability to quickly identify and respond to public
    health threats. And right now, we are experiencing the worst flu season
    in over 15 years, resulting in school closures in at least 10 States.
    We are monitoring an outbreak of Ebola in Uganda. We are keeping track
    of the growing threat of avian influenza.
      Without a strong workforce, we will not be able to react effectively.
    It is impossible to forget the significant role that NIH plays in
    developing and deploying vaccines and treatments. We are just beyond
    the clutches of the last major public health crisis. And without a
    strong workforce, we will not be prepared to face the next pandemic.
      In the clearest terms possible, these cuts aren't about efficiency.
    To the American people, it quite literally could be the difference
    between life and death. They are as direct a contradiction as you can
    have of the priorities this administration claimed to set when they
    took control--to ease burdens on families. Instead, these firings could
    add enormous strain to a nation that is already in need of relief. They
    are irresponsible, they are inefficient, and they are undeserved.
      What our civil servants deserve is a recognition of the work they do
    every day to make us stronger. What the American people deserve is for
    us to keep our obligation to ensure their health and their safety. I
    will continue to defend them and apply pressure to this administration
    until it happens.
      I yield the floor.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.

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