Jamie Raskin Condemns Trump's Threat to Withhold Federal Worker Backpay

Raskin's Legal Argument Against Withholding Pay

• 🏛️ Congressman Jamie Raskin asserts that President Trump's threat to withhold backpay from federal workers is illegal.
• 📜 He cites a law passed during the previous Trump administration in 2019 that mandates federal workers must be paid after a shutdown.
• ⚠️ Raskin suggests that if any paychecks are to be skipped, it should be for Republican colleagues who are absent, rather than the federal workers who are present and working.

The Role and Commitment of Federal Workers

• 🧑‍💼 Federal workers are described as instruments of the public will, employed through laws passed by Congress and funded by appropriations.
• 🤝 They are committed to the American people and are essential to the success of America.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Raskin emphasizes that these workers, their families, and their contributions are represented by elected officials, contrasting this with representing billionaires or foreign autocrats.

Criticism of Trump's Actions and Intentions

• 🎯 Raskin accuses Donald Trump of having one constitutional job: to take care that the laws are faithfully executed.
• 🚫 He states that Trump's administration will not be allowed to crush the dreams and work of federal employees.
• 🗣️ Raskin criticizes Trump's actions as an attempt to demoralize, humiliate, and traumatize the federal workforce, a position he finds more fitting for foreign autocrats than a US government official.
• 🗳️ The congressman contrasts Trump's approach with a call for the people to vote, promising to teach Trump how to spell "vote" correctly in the next election.