Hoyer: Every Authoritarian Leader has had his Grim Reaper; Russell Vought is Donald Trump's Grim Reaper
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"Mr. Vought, you've just heard about the trauma that you are causing. Shame. I have three articles here: 'The pain from the government shutdown is about to hit the public,' Americans, because those who work for America, who stand behind me, who stand in Washington, Maryland, Virginia, and every state in our nation. The pain will be because they have been traumatized, Vought. The next article says, 'Some GOP lawmakers want to get back to work,' from wherever they are. (laughter) We're here, we want to get the government back to work for the American people. The next article is 'Hundreds of CDC layoffs reversed, but biodefense preparedness staff hit'.
"Ladies and gentlemen, every authoritarian leader has had his Grim Reaper; Russell Vought is Donald Trump's Grim Reaper. Trump even posted a bizarre video describing Vought in those terms. That's who he wanted, a Grim Reaper. 'Grim' is defined in the dictionary as 'sinister, savage and ferocious.' A trauma causer. 'Reaper' is defined as 'that which is used to cut down.' Vought swings his scythe through the federal government as thoughtlessly and dangerously as Elon Musk and the DOGE children did with their chainsaws. The effect, sadly, has been the same: great damage to the government, the American people, and the morale, psychological well-being, and efficiency of the patriotic American workers, we call federal workers, who serve them.
"I want to close, because we were told there was a one-minute limitation. (laughter) The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission defines 'hostile workplace' as one that 'involves unwelcome conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile, or abusive work environment.' The Congress has said that is illegal. Now, Russ Vought, [who] once promised to traumatize our federal workers, saying —you've already heard this quote, but it demands repetition: 'When they wake up in the morning, we want them not to come to work because they're increasingly viewed as the villains.' Well, these courageous people kept showing up because they love their country. They love their state, their communities, and their family, so they kept coming day after day, trauma after trauma, attack after attack. And they came, and America was served. And so, Vought and Trump decided, 'Aha, we'll do what we've done before. We did it in 1995 over education and other expenditures.' Newt Gingrich shut down the government just a year into his term as Speaker of the House. Then in 2013, they didn't like health care then either. They shut down the government so that Americans would not have the health care they need and want.
"And so today they've shut down the government. Why? Because they want to stop Americans [from] getting health care, which will happen on December 31st if we do not act. That is why we're standing here, that is why this is so important for the American workers, our federal employees, yes. But for the American people? Absolutely. Our federal workers are not the villains. The man - the Reaper — putting them in trauma: he's the villain. They're the villains. You may not get this analogy, but I want you to listen closely: but as the Blue Öyster Cult band once sang, 'We don't fear the Reaper. We don't fear the Reaper. We don't fear the Reaper.' We are going to keep fighting for Americans' health care and for our workers. We will make sure Russell Vought will reap what he has sown with these illegal actions."