Preventing A Patronage System Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time, and I say to the gentlewoman that it has been a preeminent privilege to serve with her for lo these many years; indeed, superlative pleasure. I miss you already. Thank you for what you are doing.

I am grateful to my colleague, Chairman Connolly. I see this as another example of his legislative brilliance: to make a decision that will allow people to succeed on their merits or fail on their demerits, to take the political patronage out of the civil service system.

The civil service system functions efficaciously across the length and breadth of this country. Police departments and fire departments across the country that have civil servants provide the institutional knowledge. They have the expertise. Mr. Speaker, you don't want to just throw out all the best of the best that have been working there and understand what the system is all about.

Every new person who comes in would like to bring in people to support his or her political philosophy. I support your having people to work with you, but I don't support destroying a system that allows us to have the institutional knowledge to keep the government functioning efficaciously.

This patronage system that has developed under F has been a failure, and it is little more than fatuous folly that will prove to be harmful to this country.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 302, and I beg that my colleagues would do so, as well.

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