Tammy Baldwin Presses Trump's Labor Secretary About Major Reductions In Federal Government Staffing

Forbes Breaking News

At today's Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) questioned Labor Sec. Lori Chavez-Deremer.

Transcript

00:00Thank you Madam Chair.

00:08Thank you again for being here Madam Secretary.

00:11I have a few questions to start with which hopefully we can get through very quickly

00:20but regarding communication and transparency.

00:22So first thank you for submitting a timely spending plan as required by the fiscal year

00:282025 full year continuing resolution.

00:33But what you submitted had some notations, footnotes that there are ongoing reviews of

00:39certain funding allocations.

00:42So will you commit to having your staff provide periodic updates to the Appropriations Committee

00:47staff on that review and the Department's implementation of the Appropriations Law?

00:54Yes.

00:55Second, will you please commit to me that your staff will notify committee staff of any

01:01programmatic delays the department experiences in spending any of the appropriated funds,

01:07again fiscal year 2025.

01:09Yeah, my goal is to always have the open conversations with the Appropriations Committee.

01:12Great.

01:13And finally, will you provide me with information on workforce reductions including counts of

01:19the number of staff accepting deferred resignations for each of the department's offices through

01:26the most recent pay period?

01:27Yeah, thank you Senator Baldwin.

01:28If I might elaborate just a tad on that.

01:31You mentioned the House Appropriations Committee.

01:34Congressman Sandy Hoyer asked me that exact question.

01:38I did not have that information at that point.

01:42So we're still in that 45-day window.

01:44Approximately 2,700 employees have opted to take that DRP.

01:48I reported that out also to Congressman Hoyer as well.

01:52So just as an FYI.

01:54And also for our inspectors and our investigators, which I think is key to the Department of Labor,

01:58the essential workers through OSHA, MSHA, and Wage and Hour Division, we have exempted from

02:05taking that program because they are essential to the Department of Labor for the enforcement.

02:09Okay.

02:11And you know, I just, I want to just comment on the deferred resignation program because,

02:19you know, this administration has been crystal clear that it wants to significantly reduce the

02:26federal workforce and the President's Executive Order 14-2-10 says agency heads shall promptly

02:34undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force.

02:39And information provided to federal employees about the deferred resignation program indicated

02:44that the federal workforce is expected to undergo significant near-term changes.

02:49As a result of these changes or for other reasons, you may wish to depart the federal government

02:55on terms that provide you with sufficient time and economic security to plan your future.

03:02This is really doing everything in my mind to tell employees to leave because if they don't,

03:08they're probably going to get fired.

03:10But anyways, Madam Secretary, I'm concerned that this administration is paying lip service

03:17to protecting and supporting American workers but then taking actions that harm them.

03:24We see the chaotic approach to tariffs impacting small businesses and larger employers who have

03:30had their supply chains disrupted and their workers paying the price with reduced work hours

03:37and price hikes to come.

03:39The Department has pushed out approximately 20 percent of its staff who are now being paid

03:45not to work, which will seriously undermine the Department's ability to fulfill its mission

03:51to support American workers.

03:53This includes forcing out about 25 percent of the staff at the Employee Benefits Security Administration

04:00that we call EPSA, responsible for protecting the benefits of more than 156 million American workers

04:07and retirees.

04:09So prior to implementing these staffing reductions, did you do an evaluation of the impact that it

04:15would have on EPSA being able to do its job to protect Americans' benefits if 25 percent fewer

04:23people were working there?

04:24At the Department of Labor, our goal is to fulfill the mission of every agency and that

04:29is protecting workers' rights and benefits.

04:31That's an essential part of the core mission.

04:34I can tell you there are oftentimes what's important to me as the agency head is to make sure that spending

04:42more money doesn't necessarily get us the outcomes that we need.

04:45I can tell you the tariff conversation that...

04:47So you did an evaluation on what the impact would be on protecting workers' benefits by

04:53cutting that division by 25 percent?

04:56We will always protect the American workers.

04:57It's essential to the Department of Labor.

04:59So you did an evaluation prior to pushing out 25 percent of those workers?

05:04As I came into office, I had committed to this committee and every other committee,

05:08the full committee, to do every evaluation and every agency so I can pull back the curtain

05:13and understand exactly what I am in leading.

05:15I would appreciate your sharing that evaluation and analysis with the committee.

05:21And I will submit some further questions for the record because I have quite a few others.

Category

Transcript

Recommended