[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 11, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H1075]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

  (Mr. Amo of Rhode Island was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. AMO. Madam Speaker, I rise today because something is rotten in 
the state of our government.
  Over the past 50 days, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE have 
willfully spread chaos and confusion inside Federal agencies. They have 
gleefully fired thousands of employees. By taking out their chain saw 
and cutting down to the bone, this Republican administration is 
maliciously hurting the American people. We also know they have their 
sights on Social Security and Medicare, per Elon Musk's statement that 
it is the ``big one'' to cut.
  This isn't fear-mongering. It gives me no pleasure to report these 
facts, but we need to be honest. The speed, scope, and scale with which 
these bad-faith actors are disrupting lives is unprecedented.
  While attention has been on the impact of firings in Washington, this 
is not a Washington story--far from it. In fact, fewer than one in five 
Federal workers live in D.C., Maryland, or Virginia. That is right, the 
ongoing efforts to cut back the Federal Government are falling on the 
over 80 percent of workers who live outside the beltway. They are 
falling on everyday Americans who rely on our government in countless 
ways, big and small.
  Today, I would like to share some stories from Rhode Island of those 
being hurt by Donald Trump's callous disregard for public service.
  I will start with a constituent of mine from Barrington, Rhode 
Island, who works in international development. Since December, she has 
been employed by a nonprofit organization that helps children with 
disabilities outside of the United States. The way she explains it: 
``Eliminating USAID in its entirety has hollowed out what used to be 
the largest bilateral aid agency in the world. When these programs 
stop, kids suffer. They lose access to shelter, medical care, clean 
water, food, and education.''
  Cuts to U.S. foreign aid have forced the nonprofit to start laying 
off people. They have lost thousands in the field and terminated 
hundreds more on the international programs team. This hurts our 
humanitarian and national security goals.
  Every day, my constituent goes to work worried that their job will be 
next on the chopping block. Worse still, because of potential cuts to 
Medicaid that Republicans are pursuing in their budget resolution, she 
is worried whether her family, including her two young sons, will have 
health insurance if she loses her job.

  My question is: Is the cruelty worth it, Madam Speaker?
  It is not just those who project American influence abroad. It is 
also those who carry their service forward after serving in uniform. 
The Federal Government is the largest employer of our brave veterans. 
Thirty percent of the Federal workforce are veterans, including one of 
my constituents from Bristol, Rhode Island. As a disabled veteran with 
23 years of service, my constituent was unceremoniously fired from his 
position at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 
February 27.
  In his letter, he had asked the Department of Commerce if he could 
receive a letter of displacement to acquire another Federal position 
versus having to apply as a member of the public. He received no 
answer, but then again no longer had the access to find out. 
Thankfully, we learned yesterday that he was reinstated and will report 
to work tomorrow.
  The question is, though, how many veterans have not been so lucky? 
How many are now scrambling for a job, wondering if their ``thank you 
for your service'' is an unceremonious pink slip?
  It is shameful. It is un-American. It is wrong.
  I want to end on a hopeful note. Recently, I heard from Stephanie, a 
constituent from North Smithfield, Rhode Island.
  Stephanie isn't a Federal employee. She is a researcher who went into 
the field after personally experiencing and seeing her loved ones 
experience diseases with few treatment options available.
  Stephanie earned her Ph.D. in experimental and molecular science. 
Today, she is a post-doctoral research fellow working to find 
treatments for neurofibromatosis type 1. Currently, her job is safe. 
Cuts to research through the National Institutes of Health have been 
halted by a Federal judge. I proudly led more than 150 of my colleagues 
in a letter to support this bipartisan--yes, bipartisan--funding 
priority.
  The overall point remains, though: Cuts to Federal funding and 
Federal workers affect millions of Americans across the country.
  Our community is lucky to have researchers, veterans, international 
aid workers, agricultural experts, and meteorologists. They work to 
find cures, promote American interests, predict the weather, and keep 
us healthy, fed, and safe. Their jobs aren't just a line item on a 
budget. They are about people. They are about Americans who care about 
our country and the direction of where we are going. Each one of them 
has done the most American thing possible. They have dedicated their 
lives to making our Nation a better place.

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