She also criticized a proposed buyout plans for federal employees.
Rep April McClaine-Delaney (D-6th)
Frederick, Md (KM) A move by the Trump Administration to freeze federal funds resulted in chaos and confusion for some Marylanders and their families. That’s according to 6th District Representative April McClain-Delaney. “It causes fear. It causes chaos and great duress,” she says.
The Office of Management and Budget has rescinded the freeze. But McClain-Delaney says it caused grave concern during the two days it was in effect. “Over-sweeping and overreaching mandates of freezing in an ambiguous way most of our non-profits, our federal agencies, a lot of police safety grants; it was not effective,” she says.
She cited an example. “I heard from one of my constituents about a young girl who was fighting cancer and was told her clinical trial at NIH {National Institutes of Health} was going to be canceled because of a funding freeze. You hear about these examples. These are real life people,” says Representative McClain-Delaney.
She says Congress needs to have a dialog between the parties to come up with ways to cut expenses.
As tor the buyout programs for federal employees, McClain-Delaney calls it “absurd.” “These buyouts, even if people took them, there’s no money unless Congress came through it. And I don’t think that will happen,” she says.
Under the buyout plan, if federal employees quit by early February, they would be paid up through the end of the current federal fiscal year which is September 30th. “Why would we want to pay a government employee seven months to do nothing?. “Wouldn’t you want them to working for our country,” she asks. “I think if these workers take that, they wouldn’t be able to collect on it because it hasn’t been operated and appropriated.”
During her interview with WFMD News, McClain-Delaney noted that there are about 35,000 to 40,000 federal workers who live in the 6th District. “I can tell you these government workers are often overworked and under resourced. They’re public servants since decades with deep subject matter expertise,” she said
The Trump Administration has also proposed re-classifying some of these federal employees as Schedule F which makes them political appointees who could be easily fired. “Subject matter expertise being replaced with political appointees will be less efficient and not serve our people as well,”: says Representative McClain-Delaney.
Congresswoman McClain-Delaney has spent this past week visiting the 6th District. She made a stop at Kite Pharma in Frederick. The company has developed a therapy which uses the power of one’s own immune system to recognize, attack and destroy certain cancers with a one-time individualize treatment, according to Kite Pharma’s website.
By Kevin McManus