WASHINGTON — House Republicans have rejected an effort by Maryland Democratic Rep. Kweisi Mfume to obtain Trump administration documents regarding the firings of federal employees.
“This resolution of inquiry is an extraordinary step that we are forced to take…after the administration has failed to respond to over six requests from members of this committee for information,” Mfume said during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee markup hearing Tuesday.
Mfume’s resolution, introduced earlier this month, requested that President Donald Trump provide documents and information to Congress related to the termination, removal, placement on administrative leave and reassignment of federal employees, including inspectors general that were fired in recent weeks.
Mfume’s measure also requested documents from the Office of Personnel Management on the firing of employees working in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs in the federal government.
“These workers deserve answers. They deserve justice,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts, said.
The Republican-controlled panel rejected the resolution on a party-line vote, 23-21.
Mfume said the resolution was an opportunity for constituents to gain insight into the reasoning behind the Trump administration’s decision to fire federal employees and allow Congress to “demand real, intentional oversight.”
“Americans have every right and every expectation to know how these terminations were made,” Mfume said.
Mfume added that everybody is impacted by the firings of federal workers because it extends the wait times for people trying to access government services like Social Security. He said that federal grants also have been affected due to the reduced size of staff at federal agencies.
Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Kentucky, said the resolution was an attempt by Democrats to distract Trump and his administration from bringing accountability and efficiency to government.
“Instead of finding areas of agreement with President Trump and his administration, committee Democrats are refusing to acknowledge obvious government waste and are obstructing common sense reform,” Comer said, urging his Republican colleagues to oppose Mfume’s resolution.
Democratic Rep. Dave Min of California said the resolution of inquiry was a necessary step for Congress to reclaim its authority in the midst of federal worker firings.
“It’s about reestablishing trust in our institutions and reaffirming our commitment to accountability and the rule of law and the Constitution,” Min said.
Mfume told Capital News Service that nobody has the right to dismantle federal government services that people rely on and provide the livelihoods of federal workers.