Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the House Floor in support of the Protect America’s Workforce Act, emphasizing that Republicans have failed to deliver on their promises to deliver for working class Americans and that Democrats are committed to protecting their right to negotiate.
LEADER JEFFRIES: I rise today in strong support of the Protect America’s Workforce Act, legislation that will restore the collective bargaining rights of more than a million hardworking federal employees, patriotic public servants who’ve been targeted viciously by the Trump administration from the very beginning of his time in office, unnecessarily and in ways that undermine some of the core promises, Mr. Speaker, that Donald Trump made to the American people last year. Donald Trump and Republicans promised that you would focus on lowering costs on day one. But costs haven’t gone down in the United States of America, costs have gone up, inflation on the way up, housing costs out of control, child care costs out of control, electricity bills out of control, grocery costs out of control and healthcare costs skyrocketing out of control, including because of the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Instead of Donald Trump and Republicans, Mr. Speaker, keeping your core promise to the American people to make their life better, instead, you’ve been focusing on a variety of other things that relate simply to jamming your extreme right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people, including by targeting organized labor, hardworking men and women, including those who are part of the federal workforce. What is it that federal employees do each and every day to make sure that they’re providing services to the American people? Well, the list is too numerous to mention, but we know that hardworking federal employees are public servants each and every day, are working hard to make sure that hard-earned Social Security benefits are delivered to the American people, that Medicare benefits are delivered to the American people, that the food that we eat is disease-free, that we can enjoy our national parks all across the country, that aviation safety and the ability to get from your point of departure to your point of destination flying airplanes in order to see your loved ones, that that’s safe. Of course, our hardworking federal employees are working hard to make sure that veterans receive their earned benefits. These people, instead of being targeted by Donald Trump and Republicans, should be supported for the work that they do on behalf of the American people.
We also know that when it comes to improving the quality of life of everyday Americans that there’s a lot of repair work that must occur to restore the American dream that is disappearing from folks all across this country. The American people know that the Trump administration and Republican policies have been a disaster. In this great country, as Democrats, we believe that when you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to live an affordable life, a comfortable life, live the good life. What exactly does that mean? Good-paying job, good housing, good healthcare, good education for your children and at the end of the day, a good retirement. That’s the good life. That’s the American dream. And for far too many people, it’s out of reach. But we know that perhaps no force has been more proactive in delivering access to that American dream than the men and women of organized labor, decade after decade after decade.
Why would Donald Trump and Republicans focus, Mr. Speaker, on targeting hardworking public employees, targeting unions and targeting the men and women of organized labor? Is it because my Republican colleagues are too consumed with enacting massive tax breaks for your billionaire donors, which is what the One Big Ugly Bill was all about, but have zero interest in lifting up the quality of life of hardworking American taxpayers, including but not limited to the men and women of our federal workforce. It was my understanding, Mr. Speaker, that my Republican colleagues believed in freedom. Well, collective bargaining essentially is the freedom to negotiate the best possible work environment to allow these public employees to continue to deliver services that are effective and efficient for the American people. And yet, instead of focusing on driving down the high cost of living in America, which is out of control. Yes, there is an affordability crisis in the United States of America, notwithstanding the fact, Mr. Speaker, that Donald Trump apparently believes it’s a hoax. The American people know it’s not a hoax. Instead of focusing on trying to find common-sense solutions to make life better for the American people, Donald Trump and my Republican colleagues continue to just jam their extreme ideology down the throats of the American people while working overtime to benefit your billionaire donors. That’s why I’m thankful for this bipartisan effort to restore collective bargaining rights for more than a million public servants who are part of the federal government, and I urge a yes vote.
Do the right thing by the federal workforce, do the right thing by the men and women of organized labor and do the right thing when it comes to ensuring that everyone has a path to experiencing the American dream. I yield back.
Full Floor speech can be watched here.
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