DeLauro Statement on Russ Vought’s Attempted Mass Firing of Federal Employees

WASHINGTON — House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) released the following statement regarding Office of Management and Budget Director (OMB) Russ Vought’s attempted mass firing of federal employees:

“This is a corrupt abuse of power. There is nothing about the Republican shutdown that suddenly nullifies legal protections for federal employees.

“Cabinet secretaries and agency heads throughout the administration have warned against this kind of top-down mismanagement and the dysfunction it will cause, but Russ Vought appears to have gone rogue in his fervent quest to dismantle the federal government from within. Abuses like these are why I have long pushed for increased transparency – under administrations led by both Democrats and Republicans – within OMB, including the establishment of a dedicated Inspector General. The American people deserve to know their tax dollars are not being illegally misused.

“This move is not unique to the Republican shutdown. It has long been Russ Vought’s aim. He has been tormenting the federal workforce for months. He has said openly he wants American workers employed by the government to be ‘traumatically affected.’ This is yet another in a long list of abuses heaped on American workers by a Budget Director who harbors nothing but contempt for the men and women who provide critical public services millions of Americans rely on.”

A fact sheet detailing Russ Vought’s yearslong obsession with dismantling the federal government and Republican support for this mission can be found here.

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