Coming to Crossroads of A Constitutional Crisis

Floor Speech

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Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise because we are at the crossroads of a constitutional crisis.

While I represent and fight for tens of thousands of Federal workers and contractors in my district, this affects every single American.

There is a Treasury takeover. Every man, woman, and child's most personal information is in the hands of people who have no real vetting or formal role in our government. They have control of the Federal Government's payment systems. They can now decide which programs, projects, and contractors get funded. That is unconstitutional.

Federal agencies authorized by Congress are being cut without any input from Congress. That is unconstitutional.

All Federal spending was frozen with little warning to Americans. That is unconstitutional.

The Federal workforce is being intimidated and decimated before our eyes, which is illegal.

We are damaging our country in a way that could take years, if not decades, to recover.

Cutting USAID undermines our standing in the world and keeps us less safe. Cutting funding for agencies and nonprofits that feed kids or run essential services will make us less healthy and less secure. Firing Federal workers and contractors will lead to a brain drain in our government and hurt every single function of our government.

This is not rightsizing or downsizing of government. This is dumb- sizing of government. How do I know this? I know these Federal workers and contractors personally. I see them at the grocery store, farmers market, and school drop-off. They take an oath to our country to keep our government running and, most importantly, keep us safe. They often take lower salaries out of a sense of duty to their Federal citizens.

They don't care who is President. Why? Federal food safety should not stop because of who is President. Disaster relief should not stop because of who is President. Veterans' benefits should not stop because of who is President.

Federal workers make America work. They make America great.

At a townhall last night in my district, these Federal workers shared their stories. Their stories were frightening and should alarm all Americans. We had one constituent who is a nuclear scientist. We can't get rid of a nuclear scientist and expect to replace that expertise ever again.

This is a constitutional crisis. What are we going to do about it? That is what the people want to know.

There must be real oversight and accountability for this administration, especially when there are dangerous incursions into Congress' powers and independence as a legislative branch. We must introduce legislation, hold hearings, speak out, and do everything possible to make sure that this stops.

I am introducing legislation to protect Federal workers, prevent unnecessary agency relocations, and stop unconstitutional actions that undermine our democracy and the separation of powers.

If citizens are listening at home, they should know that their voice matters. When people spoke up about the Federal freeze, they backed down. Our constituents should speak out, use their voice, and push back because the time for action is now. Join me.

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