MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter, Collins lead Georgia Delegation in support of GPA water resources funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reps. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) and Mike Collins (R-GA) led the entire Georgia Congressional Delegation in a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressing support for the Georgia Ports Authority’s FY2025 water resources projects and encouraging the administration to supply adequate funding to accomplish its goals.

Specifically, the Members pushed for funding for a study of the deepening and widening of the Savannah Harbor, the Brunswick Harbor Modification project, and Brunswick Harbor and Savannah Harbor width and depth maintenance.

In the letter, the Members write, “Georgia’s port facilities in Brunswick and Savannah are vital supply chain conduits, job creators, and economic engines for Georgia and the United States…As drivers of local and global commerce, it is imperative that the needs of Georgia’s ports continue to be met by both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and America’s dredging and maritime construction industry.”

The Members continue, “We urge you take advantage of available FY2025 discretionary funding to deliver safe and reliable harbors for Georgia and the nation, as these critical projects are worthy of prioritization and your full and immediate attention.”

Co-signors include: Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Reps. Rick Allen (R-GA), Marjorie Greene (R-GA), Brian Jack (R-GA), Henry Johnson (D-GA), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Rich McCormick (R-GA),  Austin Scott (R-GA), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), David Scott (D-GA), and Nikema Williams (D-GA).

Read full letter text here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

April 03, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) and U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Members hosted an issues forum titled “Attacks on NOAA Threaten American Communities and Economies.” During this forum, the Members examined the dangerous consequences of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to dismantle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Members and panelists warned that Trump and Musk’s attacks are calculated moves to silence scientists, privatize public services, and reward tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of the American people.

“From farmers and first responders to entire coastal communities, NOAA is integral to protecting Americans’ safety and keeping our economy running,” said Ranking Member Huffman. “Today’s forum made one thing clear: the Trump administration’s reckless policies are not attacks on NOAA, but also attacks on public safety, good-paying jobs, and the scientific knowledge our communities depend on. By firing experts, slashing critical funding, and privatizing weather data, the administration is putting American lives at risk with the sole purpose of rewarding billionaires. Dismantling NOAA doesn’t just hurt public servants—it hurts everyone.”

“Fishing is part of who we are in Rhode Island—and data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on weather, fish stocks, and more plays a critical role in protecting lives and livelihoods in the Ocean State,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner. “I was proud to bring voices together and host today’s forum with House Natural Resources Committee Democrats to elevate local challenges and shine a light on the reckless cuts to NOAA by Trump and Musk that hurt the Ocean State and its coastal economy.”

“Whether we call it climate change, sea level rise, or nuisance flooding, it is happening, and it is happening at an increased level, including in Maryland’s Third District. Our state is incredibly vulnerable to the impacts of unpredictable weather, which is why I want to thank NOAA staff for your service. House Democrats understand what you deliver for the American people every single day, and I apologize that you are not receiving the respect that you deserve,” said Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth. 

“In my district, extreme weather is already endangering critical infrastructure, including at Naval Base Ventura County and the Port of Hueneme, which are vital to both our security and local economy,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “Cuts to NOAA harm military readiness and weaken our community’s ability to respond to the growing dangers of climate change. NOAA’s forecasting, climate monitoring, and disaster response are essential to our resilience. By dismantling this agency, the Trump Administration is weakening disaster preparedness and putting communities across the country at greater risk of more destruction from frequent and severe natural disasters.”

“Gutting NOAA will cost lives and livelihoods. For coastal states like Oregon, NOAA is a lifeline that keeps our economy resilient and our communities safe from climate-fueled disasters,” said Rep. Maxine Dexter.  “Thank you, Ranking Member Huffman, for spotlighting Elon Musk’s dangerous cuts and standing with us to protect science, safety, and coastal communities.” 

“What this administration does not seem to understand is that science is how we understand the foundation of this world, how we prepare our constituents for weather events, our farmers for their work, and our communities to respond to a rapidly changing climate,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury. “Cuts to this service will have severe consequences nationally and in my home state because we use the data from NOAA for everything. These mass firings will leave nothing behind but a mess that has undermined our ability to predict the weather with life or death consequences on the ground.”

“The cuts to NOAA’s funding and workforce are thoughtless and jeopardize the safety of countless Oregonians,” said Rep. Val Hoyle. “NOAA’s ocean mapping and weather forecasting helps our commercial fisherman safely navigate dangerous ocean waters as they harvest fish that feed our country, and it also helps our wildland firefighters with advanced warnings on dangerous weather conditions. These forecasts help our communities and can be the difference between life and death. There is no reason to gut this agency which provides critical information that is integral to protecting every community in my district and across this country.”

You can view a photo gallery here.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

NOAA plays a vital role in protecting lives and supporting livelihoods across the United States. Its forecasts and data support industries from agriculture to tourism, while providing life-saving alerts and environmental monitoring that keep communities safe. Every day, Americans rely on NOAA to help navigate floods, fires, hurricanes, and other climate-fueled disasters.

Despite its critical mission, NOAA has become a primary target of the Trump administration and Musk’s DOGE. Since January, NOAA has faced an unprecedented wave of political interference: censorship of climate research, purging of expert staff, the shutdown of oversight committees, and forced layoffs impacting more than 800 employees. DOGE operatives have unlawfully accessed NOAA systems, including internal communications and grants databases, raising serious questions about data integrity and whistleblower retaliation.

These actions have already disrupted NOAA’s core functions. Weather balloon launches have been reduced, community resilience programs scaled back or shuttered, and offices around the country remain closed. Meanwhile, extremist proposals to dismantle or privatize NOAA will put essential weather alerts and environmental data behind paywalls, endangering farmers, first responders, and coastal economies. House Democrats are committed to exposing this dangerous agenda and defending the public services that keep Americans safe and our economy strong.

PANELIST QUOTES

“We have no idea how NOAA will keep functioning with these budget cuts. We have no idea how much expertise and knowledge has been lost in these firings. We have no idea what else the Trump administration will do to destroy NOAA. And we have no idea who else is slated to be let go,” said Marce Gutiérrez-Graudinš, Founder and Executive Director, Azul. “To name just a few examples, Digital Coast helped Florida use high-level surface mapping to improve their flood vulnerability assessments. It helped Southern California collaborate on innovation projects for their renewable economy. It helped Northern Mariana Islands better prepare for tsunamis. It helped improve storm surge modeling for Caribbean disaster preparedness programs. It helped inform watershed management in Florida. It helped promote ecotourism in Virginia through watershed conservation. It helped analyze urban growth and flood risk in North Carolina. It helped lower flood insurance premiums in South Carolina. The list could go on and on. NOAA’s tools have helped every one of these communities and so many more. So what will happen when there’s no longer the budget for these tools, for the scientists, and the data experts who know how to use them? The unfortunate result is that communities will suffer across the U.S.”

“In my last job in the Navy, I was the oceanographer and navigator of the Navy. Just as importantly, I was the Navy deputy to NOAA. That’s how important the Navy sees this relationship between our Navy and NOAA, in that they assign an admiral to be a deputy to the director of NOAA,” said RADM Jon White, USN (Ret.). “Without the NOAA information, without leading the world in this, then our national security and the safety of our men and women in uniform is at risk. […] And it worries me a lot because I just know that there are men and women in uniform out there who rely on this information. There are parents and husbands and wives who rely on having the best information possible to keep their loved ones safe and to make sure that we maintain our national security and that home and away game advantage for years to come.” 

“Agency staff at every level have been demoralized and marginalized. When coupled with cuts to grants and fellowships and increased job insecurity, we are at a serious risk of alienating the next generation of scientists, policymakers, and leaders who would help the United States weather future storms,” said Elizabeth L. Lewis, Senior Associate Attorney, Eubanks & Associates. “NOAA simply cannot carry out its critical functions on limited staff, shrinking budgets, and aging equipment. Therefore, there is no doubt that if the Administration’s vision for NOAA becomes reality, American businesses will suffer, and even more tragically, lives will be lost.”

“In the two months since [January 20], the administration has abdicated its citizen-granted authorities to Elon Musk, the wealthiest man on the planet, and this unelected, unaccountable billionaire has torn through agency after agency, destroying a public service infrastructure that took decades to build. And it’s clear that everyday Americans are not this administration’s priority,” said Sarah Schumann, Fisherman, and Owner/Principal Consultant, Shining Sea Fisheries Consulting, LLC. “All of the ambitious and visionary things that fishermen desperately need, the faster, more collaborative data collection and decision-making, the greater attention to the multitude of stressors affecting fishery habitats, the supports for young people to enter and thrive in fishing careers, will be vastly more difficult to achieve with a diminished and distressed NOAA workforce.”

“I worked for The Weather Company, and there is no weather forecast that’s produced in this country that isn’t dependent on NOAA,” said Mary Glackin, retired NOAA official, American Meteorological Society. “In [Florida], we have 5.3 million acres of submerged lands that are managed through NOAA programs, and this is a combination of the Estuarine Research Reserves, the Coral Reef Conservation Project, the sanctuary that’s there, and coastal zone management. And why is this important to us? These areas safeguard water quality, buffer against storms and flooding, and provide critical habitat for fisheries and wildlife. They drive tourism and recreation, one of the prime economic drivers in Florida. They see over 100 million visitors annually for these world-class recreation activities, and without these programs, we are going to see increased pollution. Make no mistake about that. This could not be a worse time of year. We have the severe weather coming across. We haven’t seen our first hurricane yet, but I guarantee you it’s coming. And right now I fear that the only thing keeping us from real disaster is the heroic efforts of NOAA staff.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (15th District of Texas)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) released a statement following the Trump Administration’s implementation of a sweeping 10 percent across-the-board tariff on all imports and double-digit tariffs on dozens of countries which will hurt Americans by raising the price of virtually all goods. These tariffs will apply to more than 100 trading partners. 

“While I agree that we should always advocate for more fair trade, South Texans need economic stability, not chaos and higher prices,” said Congressman Gonzalez. “The Trump Administration’s ‘Liberation Day’ is a lie. These unrestrained tariffs on our trading partners will only lead to higher prices on virtually all goods and foods. Tariffs are a tool, not a strategy. The President must focus on lowering costs for South Texans, not starting global trade wars.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Foster (11th District of Illinois)

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced the bicameral American Innovation Act, which would provide annual budget increases at a rate of five percent, indexed to inflation, for cutting-edge research at five federal agencies: the Department of Energy Office of Science; the National Science Foundation; the National Institute of Standards and Technology Scientific and Technical Research Services; the Department of Defense Science and Technology Programs; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Directorate.  The American Innovation Act would position the U.S. as a leader in development and discovery for decades to come by creating steady, sustained funding for breakthrough research at America’s top research agencies.

“I’m proud to work with Senator Durbin on this legislation to expand federal investment in scientific research,” said Foster.  “Since World War II, investments in science and technology have helped expand our economy, create millions of jobs, and advance our national security.  As we confront new and existing challenges, it’s critical that our scientists have the resources they need to ensure our nation remains at the forefront of research and innovation.”

“In its crusade to damage essential government infrastructure, the Trump Administration has failed to recognize that sustained support for basic scientific research has enabled the United States to put a man on the moon, build the internet, and produce a COVID-19 vaccine in record time.  If we want to maintain our status as a world leader in research and technology, we must empower and fund our federal research agencies and retain their top talent,” said Durbin.  “I’m introducing the American Innovation Act to ensure our nation’s scientists and researchers have access to critical funding to push our world forward while also creating jobs, growing our economy, and improving our national security.”

Basic science funding in the U.S. has lagged in recent decades. Since the 1970s, U.S. investment in basic science has decreased by tenfold to about 0.1 percent of GDP.  Meanwhile, China’s research intensity (GDP expenditures on R&D) has increased by 500 percent since 1996. If this trend continues, China will soon surpass the U.S. in investment in science.

The American Innovation Act is cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Brian Schatz (D-HI).

The legislation has earned the endorsement of the American Mathematical Society; American Physical Society; American Society of Mechanical Engineers; American Society of Microbiology; Association of American Universities; Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities; Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation; Computing Research Association; Council on Undergraduate Research; Federation of American Scientists; Institute for Progress; the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; MIT Graduate Student Council; Society of Women Engineers; Taskforce for American Innovation; University of Illinois System; and the University of Chicago.

A copy of the legislation can be found here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01), will hold a third telephone town hall on Monday, April 7, 2025. Please see below for key details.  

Important Details: 

Date: Monday, April 7, 2025

Time: 5:30 – 6:30pm 

Listen In: 833-380-0671

Stream Live: Live | Congressman Andy Harris

Questions about the event can be directed to Congressman Harris’ DC office at (202) 225-5311. Constituents who wish to be removed from the call list should contact Congressman Harris’s DC office.

For media inquiries, please contact Anna Adamian at Anna.A@mail.house.gov

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Alma Adams (12th District of North Carolina)

CHARLOTTE, NC— The Office of Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. is now accepting submissions for the 2025 Congressional Art Competition from high school students who live or attend school in North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District. 

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. 

Students submit entries to their representative’s office and panels of district artists select winning entries. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The winning works are displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol. 

 How to Participate: 

1. Check to see if you live or attend school in North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District.
2.  Make sure that your artwork complies with the 2025 Rules for Students and Teachers.
3. Complete the 2025 Student Release Form.
4. Participants must submit both physical and digital copies of their artwork and the student release form to Yara Al Bayyari and Alijah Jamison by email at Yara.AlBayyari@mail.house.gov / Alijah.Jamison@mail.house.gov by Tuesday, April 1^st, 2025 at 5:00 PM. Once a digital copy of the artwork and the student release form is received, we will schedule the drop-off of physical art pieces. Students are encouraged to submit digital copies as soon as possible to ensure they can complete the drop-off of physical art pieces by the deadline.

Artwork must be two-dimensional. Each framed artwork entered in the contest may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches (including the frame) and may be up to 4 inches in depth. All artwork should be matted or framed. The artwork may be: 

• Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc. 
• Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (it is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
• Collages: must be two dimensional.
• Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints.
• Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc. 
• Computer-generated art.
• Photographs.

All entries must be original in concept, design and execution. 

The winner will be eligible to receive: 

• Year-long exhibition of their artwork in the U.S. Capitol.
• Complimentary airline tickets to Washington, D.C. to attend the reception and installation of the winning entries from congressional districts throughout the country.
• A chance to win a scholarship.

The first and second runners-up will have their artwork displayed in Rep. Adams’s Washington, D.C. office and the two Honorable Mentions will be displayed in the district office.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Hank Johnson (GA-04)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing this week, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, pushed back against Republican efforts to undermine judicial independence by threatening to impeach judges who rule against Donald Trump.  

“When you attack the judges and claim that they need to be impeached, not for high crimes and misdemeanors, but for simply ruling in a way that is against [Donald Trump], what impact does that have on our justice system and our democracy?” asked Congressman Johnson.  

Professor Kate Shaw, a witness at the hearing, responded: “I worry that the intent there is the same, to basically have a chilling effect on the willingness of judges to rule against the Administration.”

An independent judiciary is a cornerstone of American democracy, ensuring the rule of law prevails over partisan interests. Congressman Johnson remains steadfast in protecting judicial integrity and upholding the Constitution against partisan attacks.  

[WATCH: Congressman Hank Johnson’s Opening Remarks]

About Congressman Hank Johnson: 
Hank Johnson represents Georgia’s 4th Congressional District, where he is a staunch advocate for civil rights, public safety, and economic justice. Learn more at https://hankjohnson.house.gov/ 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Washington – Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-16) re-introduced the bipartisan Mental Health Research Accelerator Act to incentivize private companies with financial resources to collaborate with academic or nonprofit research institutions on neurological and mental health research to tackle the root causes of mental health conditions.

“Investing in brain research is key to addressing the root causes of mental health conditions, not just managing the symptoms,” said Rep. Thompson. “Mental illness is often at the core of challenges like homelessness, substance abuse, and workplace struggles. Simply funding symptom management isn’t enough—we must get ahead of the problem by advancing research that can prevent these issues from arising in the first place. I’m proud to partner with Rep. Kelly to support this critical work and help drive meaningful progress.”

“When it comes to addressing mental health access and care, we must utilize every tool in our toolbox,” Rep. Kelly said. “This new legislation allows us to make America’s tax system work for the American people by incentivizing research partnerships into brain health. I’m proud to work with my Ways and Means Committee colleague, Rep. Mike Thompson, on this vital legislation.”

“Today, more than 60 million Americans suffer from a mental illness. Recent work by Price Water House Coopers estimated that the economic burden of mental illness was more than $1 trillion annually, not counting the value of human life associated with the almost 50,000 deaths by suicide. Research from the pharmaceutical industry has moved away from mental illness drugs because of the cost and risks involved. H.R. 2085 will provide necessary economic incentives for industry to partner with research universities across our country to engage in public-private partnerships that will have the potential to find new drugs and treatments but also to provide new jobs. This is a non-partisan issue and merits the support of everyone,” said Garen Staglin, Founder of the One Mind Foundation.

BACKGROUND

The Mental Health Research Accelerator Act provides $10 billion in allocable tax credits over a six-year period. The credits are available to nonprofits, state and local agencies, and private companies who collaborate on neurological research.

Because of the high cost of neurological research, and the challenges in producing market-viable products, there is not enough investment in cutting edge neurological research. The credit is capped at 25 percent of allowable expenses and is a competitive credit to be allocated based on merit, as determined by the Treasury Department. Any credits not allocated by the end of the window are simply deemed moot and returned to Treasury unless the credit is extended by Congress.

Read the full text of the bill here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Washington – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) released the following statement in response to the President’s new tariffs:  

“Make no mistake: The American people will pay the price for the President’s trade war. The tariffs the President announced today will raise prices on groceries and electronics, cars and homes, and just about every other good on which we rely. 

“Our economy is the envy of the world. In a sweeping move, President Trump is undoing our progress. Thanks to President Trump’s trade war, people will lose their jobs, seniors’ retirement savings will go down, medical costs will go up, and families will struggle to afford basic goods.  

“Yet the President has gone on the record to make his stance clear, stating he ‘couldn’t care less’ if his tariffs raise prices on American families. It’s time Congressional Republicans join Democrats to stand up against the President’s attempt to tank our economy.” 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

Last week, Representative Sharice Davids held a conversation with recently terminated federal workers to discuss the devastating impact of the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiatives, led by Elon Musk. The discussion highlighted the personal and community consequences of these sweeping job cuts, which are hitting Kansas City especially hard.

Davids also shared her Job Seekers Guide to help affected workers navigate unemployment and find new opportunities. Participants included former employees from key agencies like the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and more, many of whom were abruptly laid off despite good performance.

With Kansas City serving as a major federal employment hub, these cuts are already disrupting families, local economies, and critical public services. Davids acknowledged the federal government can work more efficiently, but has repeatedly pushed back on these cuts, warning of risks to aviation safety, veterans’ services, and Social Security operations. As more layoffs loom, she continues to advocate for Kansas workers and the essential services they provide.

Davids’ efforts to push back on DOGE’s reckless terminations made headlines across Kansas:

Kansas City Star: Fired federal workers in Kansas City raise alarm: ‘Chaos costs the American taxpayer’

“Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat representing Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, convened a roundtable of terminated federal workers on Friday. The event, opened to news media, underscored the local effects of President Donald Trump’s lightning-fast push to cut the federal workforce.

[…]

At a union hall in Kansas City, Kansas, a small sliver of former federal employees shared their stories. They hailed from different agencies and work backgrounds, but all cast the firings as a short-sighted and haphazard effort that will place public services at risk. The roundtable also included a current Social Security Administration employee, who spoke about concerns within the agency over looming job cuts. 

[…]

At 6:45 p.m. on Feb. 14, [Selina] Zapata Bur received an email saying she was fired. She was told her email access would be cut off 15 minutes later. DOT also sent her a termination letter but tried to recall the message because of typos and missing links before sending a new version an hour later. ‘So that tells you the attention to detail they’re giving,’ Zapata Bur said.

[…] 

Davids, a fourth-term congresswoman whose district spans southern Wyandotte County, all of Johnson County and stretches into rural areas southwest of the Kansas City metro, consistently emphasizes her willingness to work with Republicans and kicked off the event by noting that the federal government can be made more efficient. But she has grown increasingly vocal in criticizing the Trump administration over the DOGE effort.

‘I can tell you the idea of vilifying and demeaning our federal civil service is reprehensible to me,’ Davids said. ‘Because just right here we’ve got folks who make sure, like with Social Security, make sure that people are getting the benefits that they’re entitled to because folks have been paying into this system for a long time.’

[…]

The one current employee in the group, Garth Stocking of the Social Security Administration, previewed the harms he and his co-workers fear are coming if the agency moves forward with a plan to eliminate 7,000 jobs nationally.

[…]

SSA currently operates 68 field offices across the four-state Kansas City region that employ 943 workers, in addition to nearly 1,000 at a service center based in Kansas City. The agency plans to consolidate the Kansas City region into a new Mid-West/West region.

What that means for what kind of presence SSA will have in Kansas City – and Kansas and Missouri more broadly – is unknown. ‘It’s not too hard to connect the dots from closing a field office to lack of services,’ Stocking said Friday.”

KMBC: Former federal workers share concerns about job cuts at roundtable with Kansas congresswoman

“A handful of former federal workers gathered at a local union hall in Merriam on Friday with U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., to share concerns about federal workforce reductions. Davids heard their concerns about federal job reductions under the Trump administration.

Donny Newsom, a Navy veteran recently let go from a construction supervisor role for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shared his concerns with the cuts and losing his job. “I think I owe it to the American people to, to at least push back a little bit and push back for the folks that can’t, that don’t have the capability to push back,” Newsom said.

The number of people losing federal jobs in the Kansas City area is still not fully known.

‘I think it’s going to be extremely difficult to undo what’s happening right now, because the service and stability is what drew people to the federal government,’ said Scott Curtis, whose job status has remained in limbo as chief of staff for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Davids shared her thoughts about the trimming federal workforce so rapidly.

‘Our communities are already expressing just how irresponsible this is,’ she said. ‘At the same time that I feel anger and heartbreak for the people who have been impacted by this.’”

The Olathe Reporter: Former federal workers detail confusion, chaos following mass layoffs

“Hosted in the LiUNA Local 1290 Union Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, Davids asked four former employees and one current social security employee to detail their experiences with recent layoffs by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Each person had a unique story, with consistent themes of miscommunication and confusion throughout. Details related to their individual firings are their own accounts.

Prior to hearing those stories, Davids, a Democrat, prefaced the conversation by saying she likely has never met someone who thought the federal government ran efficiently, but in her opinion mass layoffs are not the way to improve its effectiveness. 

‘These terminations are not the way to get there … both because of the impact on our individual federal civil servants, and the community services to keep us safe,’ Davids said.

[…]

‘Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency have taken a very reckless and thoughtless approach to firing people who are literally public servants,’ Davids said. ‘It has cut against the idea that they’re working for a more efficient government. These are services and folks who are mission-driven, who keep our community safe, who keep us healthy, who make sure we have roads and bridges.’

[…] 

Those who received layoff emails or letters in the group noted inconsistent reasoning for their firings — some were told their continued employment ‘was not in the best interest of the American people,’ while others were told it was performance-based despite never receiving a poor performance report. 

‘I wasn’t even there long enough to be evaluated for anything,’ Hudgins-Bradley said. ‘I barely had access to the systems to do the job, so ‘Based on poor performance’? What poor performance, what have you got?’

Outside of the unusually handled layoffs, the speakers discussed Project 2025, a document written in 2023 in anticipation of President Donald Trump’s reelection, detailing policies and actions the president should take in his second term in office… It details the weakening of federal programs, among other rightwing agendas, through the use of Trump’s powers as president. Vought has said in the past he wants federal workers to be “traumatically affected” and to not want to work as they are ‘increasingly viewed as the villains.’

‘I think the thing that disturbs me the most is the use of language and vilification of civil servants,’ Newsom said of the Trump Administration’s handling of the layoffs. ‘Who does that? What sort of mentality? … Where are we at as a country at this point? What sort of sick, twisted person says things like that, but then has a whole backing that’s following them up?’”

Topeka Capital-Journal: ‘We made a horrible mistake’: Fired federal employees from Kansas share stories

“U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, hosted a town hall with fired federal workers from Kansas at a union office, where they shared how they were terminated from their jobs.

The employees… described a chaotic scene at their offices as it maneuvered through mass terminations of probationary employees that have served less than a one- or two-year term, an email asking them to describe five things they did in the past week and the unfulfilled promise of benefits offered to people who agreed to resign.

[…]

Scott Curtis, a Navy veteran who was fired as a probationary employee, said he agreed to the deferred resignation program but then was fired as a probationary employee before the agency tried to rehire him.

‘I got a call from FEMA saying: ‘Oh, sorry, we made a horrible mistake. You shouldn’t have been fired. We’re rescinding your termination and you’re going to go on the deferred resignation program.’ Now I’m still not getting paid,’ Curtis said.

[…]

Davids called the approach to the terminations ‘thoughtless’ and not a real solution to inefficient government.

‘One of the things that I work on, and my team works on, is trying to figure out ways to make the federal government work better, more efficiently and effectively,’ she said. ‘These terminations are not the way to get there, from my perspective, both because of the impact that it has on our individual federal civil servants like you guys, and the community services to keep us safe, to keep us healthy.’

Davids said she’s trying to find ways to conduct oversight on the Trump administration with the help of Republican colleagues, which would be necessary with the GOP holding four more seats in the House than Democrats.

‘I am trying to figure out ways to work with my Republican colleagues, because it is the nature of being in the Legislature that we are supposed to be providing oversight on this administration and the things that they’re doing,’ Davids said. ‘We only need four or five of them to help us push back.’”

Fox4:

 

“Kansas Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids, who represents Wyandotte and Johnson Counties, hosted a roundtable with federal workers who’ve recently been laid off. The group includes employees from both sides of the state line who once worked for the Department of Transportation, FEMA, NOAA, and IRS. 1,000 workers in the metro have already bene let go, with more expected down the line. The VA has announced plans to cut more than 80,000 jobs by the end of the year.

‘But I definitely was terminated as a new probationary employee despite bringing well over three decades of experience in the federal government along,’ [said Scott Curtis].

‘It takes $10,000 just to get someone sitting there ready for training and I think my class was 150 people. So, even if just 50 of those were internal and already had everything, you’re still looking at a good amount of money that’s basically being thrown away because I didn’t even make it through training,’ [said Jasper Hudgins-Bradley]”