[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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