Rosa DeLauro To Labor Sec. Lori Chavez-DeRemer: 'Is Elon Musk In Charge?'

Forbes Breaking News

At a House Appropriations Committee hearing last week, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) spoke to Sec. Lori Chavez-DeRemer about her budget proposal.

Transcript

00:00Thank you. The chair now recognizes

00:03Ranking Member DeLore for closing remarks.

00:08Thank you very, very much.

00:10Let me just say one thing about the paid leave.

00:13You may or may not know this because I have been here for 34 years,

00:1832 on this committee, but in 1997,

00:22I introduced the paid family and medical leave bill.

00:26I actually worked for Senator Christopher Dodd,

00:29who introduced the first family and medical leave legislation,

00:34which took several years to pass,

00:36and finally passed by President Clinton.

00:41And we knew at the time that we couldn't get paid leave,

00:43so I've been on that mission since I arrived in this institution.

00:48I lead and author the Family Act.

00:51It guarantees 12 weeks of paid leave to all workers.

00:54The lack of having a paid leave program

00:57cost this economy about $22.5 billion a year.

01:00So I hope my colleagues would support that bill

01:03and that you can look at it,

01:06and I would hope to get your support for workers

01:08by supporting the Family Act, again, introduced in 1997.

01:13So I'm not talking about particular administrations.

01:17I just think we have to meet the moment

01:19and do what's right for American families across the board,

01:23and it's particularly helpful for women as well.

01:28Let me also make this statement to you,

01:30because I do believe you have very much,

01:34and you talked about,

01:35as I talked about being a daughter of a garment worker,

01:38you're the daughter of a teamster.

01:40So you have some idea of the history

01:45of what the labor movement has meant in the United States.

01:50And what it has done, as I said in my remarks,

01:52created the middle class in this country.

01:56But if I were you,

01:59and I just mean this very, very sincerely,

02:02you head up the department that is central

02:09to what happens to working men and women in this country.

02:15If you can,

02:17and I don't know if this is possible for you,

02:20but your values with regard to this issue

02:23and, quite frankly,

02:27the values of others

02:28who have proposed a budget

02:30and the disconnect between your values

02:33and the budget presented

02:35are really stark.

02:37And whatever way that you can find,

02:42I don't know,

02:43invade your space

02:44or how you navigate

02:46the direction of what you believe

02:49and what is occurring,

02:52I think you have to come to grips with that.

02:55Some of my colleagues here today

02:57would, when they smear

02:59regulations from labor laws,

03:02we need to remember

03:03what working traditions

03:05were like for U.S. workers

03:07before the enactment

03:08of our labor laws

03:09and the promulgation

03:11of the associated regulations

03:13and standards

03:14when we deal with OSHA

03:15or MSHA

03:16and these efforts.

03:19And it was the first Secretary of Labor

03:21who was a woman,

03:22Frances Perkins,

03:23who was my role model.

03:25She dealt with what happened

03:28in regulations

03:29after the Triangle fire.

03:33It was a massive loss of life,

03:35particularly of women.

03:37And I wrote a book in 2011

03:39and the opening graph of that book,

03:42and I'm going to read it.

03:44It bears repeating

03:45that the reasons companies

03:47do not feel free to poison us,

03:49to sell us spoiled meat,

03:51lock our daughters up

03:52in ninth floor sweatshops

03:55with no fire escapes,

03:56employ our underage sons

03:58in coal mines,

03:59force us to work 13-hour shifts

04:01without overtime or a break,

04:03or call in private armies

04:04to fire rifles

04:05at those of us

04:06who dare strike

04:07for higher wages.

04:09It's not because companies

04:11experienced a moment of zen

04:13and decided to evolve.

04:15No, they were forced

04:17into greater accountability

04:18and social concern

04:20by the legitimate actions

04:22of a democratic,

04:23that's a small d,

04:25a democratic government.

04:26In other words,

04:27if we depend on goodwill,

04:30we are all screwed.

04:32That is the opening paragraph

04:34of my book.

04:36You have the enormous responsibility

04:40of making sure

04:43that workers on the job

04:46are safe in addition

04:47to their wages

04:48and a whole variety

04:49of other things,

04:51and to look at those

04:53who would want

04:54to dismiss regulations,

04:57speak about whatever kind

04:59of a market that they want,

05:01would allow us to go back

05:03to an era

05:05when workers,

05:08men and women,

05:09were abused

05:10in the workforce.

05:11And I don't believe

05:12that you want to do that.

05:15I also was very concerned

05:16when we were talking

05:17here today

05:18about,

05:20you're in charge,

05:23but Elon Musk announced

05:24the deferred resignation program

05:26that has gutted your staff,

05:29but you won't share data

05:30on the impacts

05:31of the response

05:32to our letters

05:33or to our questions

05:34at this hearing.

05:35So I have to wonder,

05:38is Elon Musk in charge?

05:40Should we ask him

05:41the questions?

05:43Are the questions

05:44best directed to him?

05:46Or are you,

05:47the Secretary of Labor,

05:48in charge

05:49of the Department

05:50of Labor's staff?

05:52We did get a response.

05:54We wrote to you

05:54two months ago,

05:56the first issue,

05:58and I mentioned this

05:58to you over the phone.

05:59We mentioned,

06:00we wrote two months ago

06:01to you, myself,

06:03Senator Murray,

06:03Senator Baldwin,

06:05Congressman Scott,

06:06Senator Sanders,

06:06expressing concerns

06:07about the staffing reductions

06:09and office closures.

06:11We got a letter yesterday,

06:14a one-page letter,

06:15no information

06:16about the number

06:16of employees

06:17that have been fired,

06:18placed on administrative leave,

06:20or who took

06:20early retirement options.

06:22My colleague,

06:23Mr. Hoyer,

06:23asked about this,

06:24but you have to provide

06:25to this committee,

06:26and I hope you will commit

06:27to do this.

06:28You have to commit

06:28to doing this.

06:30A list of the programs

06:31of the Department

06:31of Labor

06:31whose funding

06:32has been cut,

06:33frozen since January 20th,

06:35along with what

06:36was the criteria

06:37for gutting

06:38or freezing those funds.

06:40I'm all for cutting.

06:42I cut Job Corps programs

06:44in the past

06:45that were not working.

06:46Give us the criteria

06:47on which these programs

06:50were cut.

06:51We may agree with you,

06:52but we have a dialogue,

06:53agree or disagree,

06:55on what's happened.

06:56We have no information.

06:57We're just told

06:58that there was

06:59a $2 trillion goal

07:01that had to be met

07:02for saving,

07:04and therefore,

07:05let's cut

07:06without any thought

07:08about consequences

07:09of any of these cuts.

07:10You need to provide

07:11the committee

07:11with the number

07:12of employees

07:12at department

07:13by agency

07:14who received

07:15a reduction

07:15in force notification,

07:17and will you provide

07:18this committee

07:18the number

07:19of probationary employees

07:20by agency

07:21whose employment

07:22at the department

07:23was terminated.

07:24You have to provide

07:25the committee

07:26the number of employees

07:27at the department

07:28by agency

07:29who accepted

07:30early retirement offers,

07:33and we need to do that

07:34as quickly as possible

07:35if we are to address

07:36the appropriations

07:38for this department

07:39moving forward.

07:41Let me also mention to you

07:45the cuts in,

07:47we've talked about

07:48training programs,

07:50upskilling,

07:51workforce.

07:53Yes,

07:54and I told you

07:55about registered

07:55apprenticeships.

07:56I've been fighting

07:57for that for years,

07:58and I don't want

07:58unregistered apprenticeships.

08:00I think it's a boondoggle,

08:02and it's BS.

08:03It's registered

08:04so we know

08:05what's happening

08:05and that people

08:06have a job

08:06at the end of the line.

08:09But the 2026 budget proposal

08:12slashes job training programs

08:13by $3.6 billion.

08:15That's a 35% cut.

08:18That's opportunities

08:18for American workers.

08:20The president is asking

08:22to cut these funds

08:23while he administers

08:24disastrous policies

08:26that increase the cost

08:28of living for the middle class.

08:29We talked about WIOA.

08:31We've appropriated 2025

08:34and understand that 2025,

08:37the numbers,

08:37are based on 2024.

08:39That's the budget.

08:40That's what,

08:41I didn't vote for it,

08:42but everyone on the other side

08:43of the aisle voted

08:44for a continuing resolution

08:46that says,

08:47let's continue

08:47the 2024 budget.

08:49And in that 2024 budget

08:52for 2025,

08:54the Congress appropriated

08:55$2.9 billion

08:56for WIOA grants

08:58to states

08:58and for job training programs.

09:01It's a violation of the law

09:03and of the Constitution

09:04to steal the appropriated funds

09:07from this committee

09:08or any other committee

09:10and move the dollars

09:11wherever you want to.

09:12No, it's against the law.

09:14And let me just say,

09:15you don't have to answer

09:16these questions now,

09:17but I'm going to submit it.

09:18Are you planning to freeze

09:19and withhold

09:20congressionally appropriate

09:21funding for WIOA job

09:22state grants?

09:23Do you commit to following

09:24the law and fully obligating

09:25funding that Congress appropriated

09:27for WIOA job training

09:28state grants

09:28in fiscal year 2025?

09:30How many fewer participants

09:32would be served

09:33as a result

09:34of these proposed cuts?

09:35How would that impact

09:36the hiring needs

09:37of employers

09:38looking for skilled workers?

09:40Is there a role

09:41for publicly funded

09:42workforce development programs

09:43or is your goal

09:44to only have

09:45workforce training

09:46by private companies?

09:48These are questions

09:49that we need

09:50to have answered.

09:53And I just say to you

09:55that I'm sorry,

09:58OSHA closings,

10:00offices closed.

10:02Louisiana,

10:03the only office

10:04in Louisiana

10:05for OSHA

10:06is closed.

10:07The only office

10:08in Oklahoma

10:09closed.

10:09in Arkansas,

10:11most of the offices

10:12in Illinois,

10:14over half in Georgia,

10:15the Florida Panhandle,

10:16the Great Lakes region,

10:19MSHA,

10:19deeper cuts,

10:21you restrict inspector travel.

10:23It's been pointed out

10:25with regard

10:27to the mining

10:28incidences

10:30in the first four months

10:31of 2025.

10:32But that staff

10:36has been cut

10:37and offices closed.

10:40I do believe

10:42you fundamentally,

10:45you believe

10:46in workers' rights

10:48and safe workplaces.

10:54But I think

10:55you're in an environment

10:56where there may be others

10:58who don't share

10:59those values.

11:01And they're

11:01demonstrating it

11:02by the presentation

11:05of their budget.

11:06And we've heard

11:07about these cuts,

11:08not from you.

11:09You retweeted

11:10from Doge

11:12what the cuts.

11:14ILAP,

11:14WANTO,

11:15those grants cancellations

11:16were announced

11:17by Musk's Doge account

11:19and you retweeted

11:24that news.

11:26Madam Secretary,

11:26the American worker

11:29is relying on you

11:31and relying on us

11:34to make sure

11:36that we don't gut

11:39the worker programs

11:41that people have lived

11:43and died for

11:44in this country

11:45and to move forward.

11:47It is an awesome responsibility.

11:49I wanted to be,

11:51and I was interviewed

11:52for the position

11:53of Secretary of Labor

11:55in the Obama administration.

11:56And when he asked me

11:59what I wanted to do,

12:01I said I wanted

12:01to be Francis Perkins.

12:03I want to protect

12:05the rights

12:05of American workers,

12:07men and women,

12:08protect children,

12:10guard against forced labor,

12:12make sure our trade agreements

12:14are worker-centered.

12:16I believe you have

12:17those concerns as well

12:18and I care about those.

12:19that's not as well.

12:20No?

12:21No.

12:34No.

12:35No.

12:36No.

12:38No.

Category

Transcript

Recommended