Mark Takano: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the actions coming out of the White House are shocking, alarming, and…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the actions coming out of the White House are shocking, alarming, and unconstitutional. We have seen an unelected billionaire attempt to lay off, fire, and purge Federal employees from across the executive branch. No agency or department is safe, not even the department taking care of veterans. As the ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I have been quick to warn employees at the VA not to fall for the recent attempt from Musk to buy out employees. I have warned VA employees and providers. Elon Musk thinks they are stupid and won't see through his deceptive and fraudulent buyout offer. VA employees should ignore his email and send it to the trash bin. The Trump administration is playing a dangerous game with their livelihoods and veterans' lives. The Department of Veterans Affairs has a mandate to ensure that veterans with visual, hearing, mobility, and cognitive impairments can still apply and receive care. The Trump administration put an end to that mission to reach out to veterans with visual, hearing, mobility, and cognitive impairments. He put an end to that mission in the fervor to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in Federal agencies. Yes, diversity, equity, and inclusion include veterans with visual, hearing, mobility, and cognitive impairments.…”