Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. H.R. 1140 is a pro-security and pro-Federal worker piece of legislation. The TSA is no longer a startup agency requiring maximum flexibility during a period of national emergency, and Congress, in previous administrations, has taken actions to reflect that. Ten years after its creation, in 2011, TSA employees were given labor union representation. This was a good step forward. However, the time is now to provide the 60,000 TSA employees the same worker rights and protections afforded to other Federal workers under the U.S. Code. It is a sad and shameful day for the government when anyone is forced to turn to food pantries to feed their family, employed or not, but it is unacceptable that Federal workers who work to protect and serve all Americans would be without a paycheck for weeks at a time--over the holidays, no less. Working people all over the United States are sacrificing more and earning less. This is a systemic problem that will not be solved by this bill. But, in order to rebuild the middle class that got so many of us into this body where we are today, we need to value Federal workers for the job they do and the services they provide to all of us. There are times and places for cutting costs and reducing expenses, but I do not believe that we as a body should do so in a way that negatively impacts national security or does so to the detriment of the men and women who keep us safe.…”