Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland led a news conference on Tuesday outside the headquarters of the Office of Management and Budget with other lawmakers who represent Maryland and Virginia. The Democrats blasted Republicans and the White House for the shutdown and its impact on federal workers.
“When Donald Trump shuts down the federal government, the Maryland and Virginia delegation come together and step up,” Van Hollen said, citing the high number of federal employees who live in the area.
Van Hollen lauded federal employees for how they “support our veterans, they help make sure our food and water is safe. They help develop treatments and cures to diseases that impact every American family, and the list goes on and on.” He said when President Trump and OMB Director Russ Vought “viciously attack our federal employees, they are attacking the American people — that is what they are doing.”
“And this shutdown is different from earlier ones,” Van Hollen said, accusing the administration of “using this moment to terrorize these patriotic federal employees.”
Layoffs that the Trump administration had warned would take place because of the shutdown began late last week. On Friday, the administration disclosed that seven agencies had begun issuing reduction-in-force notices to more than 4,000 workers.
“In previous shutdowns, federal workers got furloughed. They did not get fired,” Van Hollen said.
“Firing and threatening to fire federal employees is part of the Trump administration’s campaign to inflict trauma on our federal workforce,” he added.
Van Hollen called on the administration to “stop attacking federal employees, stop attacking the American people, and start negotiating to reopen the federal government.”
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