Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman James R. Walkinshaw (VA-11), a Co-Chair of the Federal Workforce Caucus and a Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, released the following statement in response to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought’s prepared testimony before the House Budget Committee advocating for President Trump’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Budget. 

“Director Vought’s testimony in support of President Trump’s FY 2027 Budget exposes this Administration’s reckless approach to the federal workforce, its misuse of taxpayer dollars, and the damage it is doing to the services Americans rely on every day.

Contrary to Vought’s statements today, under the banner of ‘efficiency,’ DOGE took a wrecking ball to our nonpartisan civil service, disrupting agencies, pushing out experienced nonpartisan public servants, and creating deep uncertainty for federal workers and their families. Yet the promised savings failed to materialize. 

Far from delivering savings and efficiency, a nonpartisan analysis found that DOGE’s actions could cost taxpayers $135 billion by forcing employees onto paid leave, rehiring mistakenly fired workers, and driving down productivity.

The public record also reveals DOGE’s false claims. Reporting analyzing DOGE’s own published figures found that DOGE claimed more than 29,000 contract and grant cancellations across the federal government, but federal spending still went up.

Director Vought is also advocating for a budget that would freeze federal worker pay after last year’s 1 percent raise, which did not keep pace with inflation, while pursuing cuts that would weaken agencies, reduce support for critical public services, and make it harder to recruit and retain the skilled public servants needed to carry out essential missions.

Federal workers are not line items on a spreadsheet or pawns in a political agenda. They are dedicated public servants who help keep our country safe and our government functioning. The American people deserve a government that is efficient and effective. They also deserve a budget that strengthens critical services, supports the public servants who deliver them, and meets the real needs of working families at a time when working families are already under immense financial strain.”

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