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