Video: Kaine Joins Senate Democrats in Holding Senate Floor to Protest Russell Vought’s Nomination to Lead OMB, Citing Chaos Unleashed on Federal Workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Last night, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined his Democratic colleagues in holding the Senate floor to protest Russell Vought’s nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), citing stories he has collected from federal workers about the chaos the Trump Administration has unleashed on the federal workforce. Vought is one of the key authors of Project 2025 and has long been an architect of President Trump’s plans to villainize the federal workforce.

Broadcast-quality video of Kaine’s speech is availablehere.
“My colleagues have spoken on the floor about a particular statement of Mr. Vought’s that I examined him about fairly aggressively during the Budget Committee Hearing. In the course of a speech, he said, ‘I want federal employees to be traumatized. I want to put them in trauma. I want them to come to work—to not want to come to work—because they know that they are increasingly viewed as the villain. Now, who talks like that? I mean, who talks like that? Is there a single manager or leader or organizational chief that we admire who believes that their mission, their happiness, their glee, their purpose is to make their workforce feel traumatized? No we would never celebrate a leader of that kind,”said Kaine.
“What I want to do in my time on the floor tonight is talk a little bit about these federal employees and what having a traumatized workforce means… What I’ve heard from Virginians is just in the week since the funding pause order went into place—something that was masterminded by Russell Vought—federal employees. Yesterday, I decided after hearing stories from federal employees, to launch a website, a resource where federal employees could share with anonymity guaranteed… I thought what I would do tonight is, I’ve just taken 18 of these stories, from the federal employees that have just once in in the last 24 hours, of the hundreds that have been submitted, and I just want to read some to you, to tell you about who these people are who Mr. Vought wants to be traumatized. Who these people are that Mr. Vought wants to personally make feel as if they are the villains,”Kaine continued.
Then, Kaine shared various stories he has collected from federal workers about how the Trump Administration’s actions have harmed them and threatened their ability to deliver essential services for the American people, including:
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