House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene said federal workers do not have “real jobs” and “do not deserve their jobs” during a Tuesday House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing.
Newsweek reached out to Greene via email for comment on Thursday outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Over the past few weeks, thousands of federal employees have been laid off in a series of cuts overseen by Elon Musk’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Last week, federal workers received an email asking them to list what they had achieved over the past week in five bullet points, with Musk saying on X (formerly Twitter) that “failure to respond will be taken as resignation.” A number of government departments told their employees they did not need to respond.
What To Know
Discussing federal employment during Tuesday’s House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, Greene said: “Those are not real jobs producing federal revenue, by the way.
“They’re consuming taxpayer dollars. Those jobs are paid for by the American tax people, who work real jobs, earn real income, pay federal taxes and then pay these federal employees.”
The Georgia Republican continued: “Federal employees do not deserve their jobs. Federal employees do not deserve their paychecks. And these are jobs that can be fired at will.”
Al Drago/GETTY
Greene’s remarks came directly after Illinois Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi spoke out against privatizing the U.S. Postal Service, claiming this would throw “trillions of dollars of e-commerce transactions into turmoil.”
On February 20, The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump plans to disband the USPC’s board of governors and put the agency under the direct control of the Commerce Department, which critics say could be a first move toward privatization.
“These reports are beyond troubling, and I respectfully request that you have a hearing again on the USPS,” Krishnamoorthi said.
What People Are Saying
Democratic Texas Representative Veronica Escobar, on X: “Marjorie Taylor Greene believes 6,008 of her constituents are unworthy of a job or a paycheck because they work for the federal government. To quote her favorite person: SAD!”
Emma Vigeland, a political commentator who cohosts the Majority Report podcast, on X: “Everybody should earn an honest living the way Marjorie Taylor Greene did before she became a public servant: inheriting a construction business from your dad.”
The MAGA Voice X account shared a clip of Greene’s remarks on X: “HOLY S*** – Marjorie Taylor Greene exposes all of these Federal employees using American’s Tax dollars to protest. MIC DROP.”
What Happens Next
Musk has previously said he wants to cut federal government spending by up to $2 trillion annually. If this is to be achieved, much more radical federal spending cuts will likely be required, including personnel.
The deadline for responding to DOGE’s five bullet point email has now passed. It is unclear whether any employees who didn’t respond will be fired.
