WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate in support of the federal workforce, which has been subjected to unprecedented attacks under the Trump Administration.

“The way our federal government treats its workforce, the way we manage and invest in the human capital of our federal government is not some kind of parochial issue. This is an issue that impacts all American who pay their taxes, follow the laws, and expect their federal government to work for them, and to work well,” Sen. Warner said on the Senate floor. “That’s why, Mr. President, I also rise with great concern about the recent efforts by this Administration to scapegoat and undermine the work of our public servants. It started with the hiring freezes that threw a wrench into the day-to-day operations of nearly every federal agency — with no apparent benefit to the taxpayers. It continued with executive orders undermining workplace protections for federal workers and their ability to organize as part of a union. And it culminated last month, with the Trump Administration’s plan to freeze federal employee pay and cut retirement benefits for 2.6 million federal retirees and survivors. This is the thanks our federal employees get for their service!” 

On May 4, OPM Director Jeff Pon outlined an Administration plan to freeze federal employee pay and cut retirement benefits for 2.6 million federal retirees and survivors. On May 25, President Trump signed three Executive Orders that would roll back protections for our federal workforce by making it easier to fire federal employees, restricting time employees can be compensated for union work and directing agencies to negotiate tougher union contracts. Today is the first day of oral arguments in a lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging the executive orders.

Sen. Warner also addressed the Administration’s relentless attacks on federal law enforcement and the intelligence community ahead of “Intelligence Professionals Day,” which will be recognized tomorrow, Thursday, July 26, the 71^st anniversary of President Truman signing the National Security Act of 1947.

“Unfortunately, in the months since Russia attacked the very institutions of our democracy, we’ve seen the most bizarre reaction from the President and his allies. Instead of uniting our country behind the cause of defending democracy and bringing our adversaries to justice, the President has led an all-out attack on the credibility of the FBI, the Justice Department, and our Intelligence Community,” said Sen. Warner.  “Demeaning career FBI officials who’ve saved countless American lives over their careers. Impugning the motives of Special Counsel Mueller, perhaps the most respected federal lawman of his generation. Worst of all, we saw the President of the United States stand onstage with Vladimir Putin last week and publically side with Putin over the career men and women of our intelligence community — many of whom risk their lives on a daily basis in order to keep our country safe.”

 

Below is the full text of his remarks as prepared for delivery.

Mr. President, I rise today with great gratitude for the men and women who serve all across our federal government.

 

Virginia is home to some 178,000 of these public servants, as well as over 90,000 active-duty members of our military.

 

And while many of those federal employees live in the national capital region, the truth is that the vast majority of federal employees — some 78 percent — live outside the beltway.

 

The way our federal government treats its workforce, the way we manage and invest in the human capital of our federal government is not some kind of parochial issue.

 

This is an issue that impacts all American who pay their taxes, follow the laws, and expect their federal government to work for them, and to work well.

 

That’s why, Mr. President, I also rise with great concern about the recent efforts by this Administration to scapegoat and undermine the work of our public servants.

 

It started with the hiring freezes that threw a wrench into the day-to-day operations of nearly every federal agency — with no apparent benefit to the taxpayers.

 

It continued with executive orders undermining workplace protections for federal workers and their ability to organize as part of a union.

 

And it culminated last month, with the Trump Administration’s plan to freeze federal employee pay and cut retirement benefits for 2.6 million federal retirees and survivors.

 

This is the thanks our federal employees get for their service.

 

President Trump campaigned on a promise to “drain the swamp.”

 

But the great irony is that the most glaring instances of failure and corruption at the federal level in recent months have not come from career federal employees.

 

They’ve come from the appointees installed by this administration.

 

Look no further than the EPA, where the American people saw some of the most blatant examples of waste and abuse from Mr. Pruitt.

 

We also saw that, with few exceptions, those at the EPA with the courage to stand up and say “this is not ok” were career federal employees.

 

And for that, some were demoted, some were reassigned in retaliation — all because they had the courage to speak up and do what was right.

 

This is the thanks our federal employees get for their service.

 

Unfortunately, Mr. President, these issues don’t appear to be confined to the walls of one agency with one rogue administrator.

 

We’ve seen disturbing reports of Trump political appointees purging career employees at the State Department and the VA.

 

These reports should concern all of us, Republican and Democrat alike, who believe in good, honest government, by and for the people. 

 

Before I close, I want to make another comment on this subject, because there is one part of our federal government in particular, where naked partisanship threatens not only the functioning of our government, but the rule of law itself. 

 

I’m speaking, of course, about the attacks on our federal law enforcement agencies and our intelligence community.

 

The Intelligence Community as we know it was founded 71 years ago tomorrow, when President Truman signed the National Security Act. That date, July 26, also marks the 110^th birthday of the FBI, as well as Intelligence Professionals Day — a time to show our gratitude to those brave men and women who keep us safe every day.

 

If only this gratitude were shared by our Commander-in-Chief.

 

Unfortunately, in the months since Russia attacked the very institutions of our democracy, we’ve seen the most bizarre reaction from the President and his allies.

 

Instead of uniting our country behind the cause of defending democracy and bringing our adversaries to justice, the President has led an all-out attack on the credibility of the FBI, the Justice Department, and our Intelligence Community. 

 

Demeaning career FBI officials who’ve saved countless American lives over their careers.

 

Impugning the motives of Special Counsel Mueller, perhaps the most respected federal lawman of his generation.

 

Worst of all, we saw the President of the United States stand onstage with Vladimir Putin last week and publically side with Putin over the career men and women of our intelligence community — many of whom risk their lives on a daily basis in order to keep our country safe.  

 

And this is the thanks they get for their service.

 

Mr. President, the men and women of the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the Intelligence Community deserve better.

 

All of our public servants deserve better than what we’ve seen from this Administration.

 

My advice for this President, if he’s really serious about “draining the swap,” is to leave our federal employees alone and take a good long look in the mirror.

 

Thank you, Mr. President, I yield back.

 

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