Hoyer Remarks at Press Conference on Trump's Executive Order Attacking Federal Workers' Union Rights
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered remarks at a press conference hosted by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) to oppose Trump's retaliatory attempt to outlaw federal unions. Below is a full transcript of his remarks:
Click here for a full video of his remarks
"I want to thank Jamie Raskin, I want to thank the leaders of federal [labor movement], I thank Liz Shuler, President Saunders, and others who represent a broader spectrum, because as President Kelley said, this is not simply about federal employees, this is not simply about public employees, this is about whether Americans are going to have the right to organize [and bargain collectively], which is an inherent right in almost every democracy of the world, as a matter of fact every democracy of the world. I can remember when Lech Wałęsa was arguing for freedom from Soviet domination, from communist oppression, and he talked about organizing, talked about solidarity. He talked about organizing and bargaining, because we know, as individuals, you cannot bargain with great enterprise. So, you need to be organized, collectively, so you represent the interest of many, not the few.
"I was at the Supreme Court yesterday. It says we are a nation of laws; we are not a nation of Executive Orders. And what we have seen over the last two plus months, almost three months now, is a president who believes he can organize and govern by fiat. That is called dictatorship, not democracy. Donald Trump’s Executive Order terminating union rights for hundreds of thousands of federal workers is destructive, very disturbing, and perhaps and probably, not perhaps, probably illegal.
"Now let me tell you what he’s doing now. Homan, who heads up the immigration authority, said he doesn’t care what the courts say. Ladies and gentlemen of America, my fellow citizens, if we don’t care what the courts say, our government of laws is defunct. It’s not surprising, however, it’s part of Trump and his administration’s unrelenting effort to fire, traumatize, and vilify the patriots who make our government function for the people.
"OMB Director Russell Vought made their strategy clear when he said, ‘we want bureaucrats to be traumatically effected.’ Every day of this administration they have been traumatizing public employees. Now let me tell you they say they want to have an efficient government. What is the worst thing to do to have efficiency in any enterprise? It is to undermine the confidence, morale, and focus of the employees you’re asking to carry out the responsibilities of the government. He went on to say, ‘when they wake up in the morning,’ now this is a federal employee on whom America relies, on who we rely, 'we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as villains.’ The nurse from the VA hospital, the villain? The inspector in a food processing plant that makes sure that food is safe to eat, villains? Villains? The air traffic controllers that you pointed out, who make sure that this airspace is safe for us to fly in, because when they fail, we know there is death and tragedy that follows. Vought, who is OMB Director, and one of the right-hand people of Donald Trump, said, ‘we want their funding to be shut down,’ not reduced, shut down. They sent two million letters to say, ‘you can resign.’ Think of every air traffic controller walking off the job. You are stuck wherever you are. If you have a loved one who dies in California, you can’t get there.
"Congress has passed multiple laws enshrining and expanding the right to organize and bargain collectively. That is the law. This president, however, thinks he can go on governing through Executive Orders as if he makes the law. I’m hopeful that our courts will deem this latest Executive Order illegal, yes, I think it is illegal, as they have from so many of Trump administration’s actions these past few months. Now, Trump said in the election, ‘I’m going to be your retribution.’ Now guess who’s filing some of these suits that the courts have said were right? [points to Labor leaders] Labor organizations this is the retaliation, this is the revenge, this is the shut them up effort. Trump administration’s actions are consistent, however, with the Republican Party’s longstanding hostility to the rights of working men and women to organize and bargain collectively. This action reflects this administration’s agenda to serve the interests of the richest individuals, and the most powerful and wealthy corporations in our country. They don’t need to organize. They have a lot of money, and one of them has $450 billion or thereabouts. This administration does not have concern for the law, for common sense, or for the welfare of our federal employees and the American people they serve, but by God all of us do in standing here, and I hope all of you standing in front of me do, because we want America to continue to be America, that recognizes the rights of individuals to come together and to express to the Congress, to the president, their grievances, and be able to bargain for their rights. That, my friends, is America. And I yield to my dear friend, one of the senior members of the Congress of the United States, who spoke so eloquently yesterday as we sat here arguing for the same objective: fairness and justice. Don Beyer.”