Supporting Federal Workers

Floor Speech

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Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solidarity and with much aloha for our Nation's Federal workers. As a member of the Labor Caucus, I am proud to stand with these essential employees who keep our government running every single day.

Federal workers care for our veterans, keep us safe when we travel, and make sure our seniors get the Social Security payments that they need to put food on the table and to survive.

Our Federal workers were also the ones who were first on the scene when fires ravaged Maui. They saved lives. They provided food and shelter and replaced documents. They gave our people hope.

Day in and day out, Federal workers are the unseen hands and hearts that guide our Nation through complex challenges and maintain the infrastructure and services that underpin daily life. They give our people hope and help.

When we attack Federal workers, we not only discredit their work, Mr. Speaker, but we cut off the very hands that are holding us up.

Since taking office, President Trump has made it his number one priority to undermine and dismantle our Federal workforce. Over the past 2 weeks, the Trump administration has been bullying Federal workers to resign while making a hollow promise of paying benefits through the end of the year. Now, President Trump is threatening mass layoffs to those who refuse to accept this bogus and deceptive offer.

We have 43,000 hardworking Federal employees in Hawaii. Many of these civil servants have contacted me to express their anger, frustration, and fear.

One constituent who spent his entire career with the Department of Health and Human Services said he had experienced several Presidential transitions but none as demeaning and demoralizing as this one. Once committed to a full career in public service, he now wakes up daily dreading the new abuses and attacks he and his colleagues will face.

Let us be clear: Federal workers are not the problem. They are part of the solution. They don't make decisions based on political whim. They don't serve a single master and his billionaire friends. They serve the people of this country.

The American people deserve a government that works for them, not against them.

To all the Federal employees in Hawaii and across this country: We see you. We hear you. We will fight to protect you. Thank you for your dedication and for your service. You are the quiet force that keeps our Nation strong. You have always had our backs. Now it is time we have yours.

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