Federal Employees

Today’s assertion by the White House press secretary that career foreign service officers who disagree with the new administration ought to ‘get with the program or they can go,’ is a deeply disturbing statement that runs counter to our more than century-old tradition of a nonpartisan foreign service. 

Yesterday, President Trump issued an Executive Order. He imposed a hiring freeze on the federal workforce. 

If President Trump had any experience with leadership in public service, he would know that our federal government cannot serve the American people without its talented, driven federal employees.  

Last night, House Republican leaders decided against allowing a vote on Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s amendment to the defense appropriations bill to prohibit #LGBT discrimination. In the wake of this weekend’s horrific shooting in Orlando, the House should be sending a strong signal that we will stand united against discrimination. Yet, once again, House Republicans are showing their true colors. But don’t just take it from us. These headlines speak for themselves:

This week, the House took up several partisan bills that would target the IRS and make it harder for civil servants to do their jobs. 

House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 Budget. 

As we begin the new year and the Second Session of the 114^th Congress, newly elected Speaker Paul Ryan has an opportunity to turn the page on the bitter partisanship of the past few years and show that he is willing to work across the aisle to get things done for the American people.  The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that “House Speaker Paul Ryan starting this month will push to turn the chamber into a platform for ambitious Republican policy ideas.”  But evidence points to the contrary, with the first items on the House’s agenda for 2016 being the sixty-second vote to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act, the eleventh vote to attack women’s health, and several bills that would undermine consumer safety, workplace safety, and environmental protections.  House Republican leaders know these bills will never become law, yet they continue to pander to the far right with political messaging bills instead of bringing substantive, bipartisan legislation to the Floor. It is also unfortunate that Speaker Ryan has already taken issues such as comprehensive immigration reform and an expansion of paid family and medical leave off of the table. 

Throughout my years in Congress, I have worked with few people as capable, personable, or hardworking as Beth Moten.