Congressman Hoyer warns federal budget uncertainty is harming employees and services

Rep. Steny Hoyer, U.S. representative for Maryland’s Fifth Congressional District, told the Southern Maryland delegation on Feb. 21 that rapid federal personnel and spending changes instituted by the new administration have created “chaos and crisis” for agencies and thousands of federal workers.

Hoyer said new Office of Management and Budget policies and hurried staffing changes have the effect of cutting programs without a considered review. “What was done and what is being done is to simply go in and with a, an ax effectively, perform what ought to be performed with a scalpel,” Hoyer said. He argued that the administration’s interpretation of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 — described in the meeting as allowing the executive to withhold or sharply reduce spending that Congress has appropriated — is legally and constitutionally problematic.

Why it matters: Southern Maryland’s economy and public services rely on large numbers of federal employees at installations such as Naval Air Station Patuxent River (Pax River), Naval Support Facility Indian Head and Webster Field. Hoyer said about 77,000 federal employees live in the Fifth District and noted that widespread uncertainty and furloughs can interrupt services from Social Security to veterans’ benefits.

Details and local effects: Hoyer said the administration has issued directives that reclassify roughly 50,000 employees into non–civil‑service, at‑will positions, and that probationary workers hired in recent years have received notices of separation. “The angst and anxiety and fear” he described, Hoyer said, affects recruiting and retention and may deprive federal programs of staff with institutional knowledge.

Del. Brian Crosby, who said he employs dozens of government engineers at Webster Field, described a case in which a promoted employee became probationary and then lost the job, producing “massive, massive impacts” on local contractors and supervisors. Hoyer recounted anecdotal encounters with affected workers, including a Goddard Space Flight Center employee who became emotional recounting the upheaval.

Hoyer also warned of a near‑term budget deadline: Congress must act by March 14 on spending authorization to avoid a lapse that would limit most noncritical operations. He said negotiations on topline spending levels were unresolved and that continuing resolutions are under consideration.

What Hoyer said about litigation and checks and balances: Hoyer noted the new administration’s series of executive orders and personnel moves have already been challenged in court and that some disputes may ultimately reach the Supreme Court. He said his office is monitoring developments and planning town halls for federal employees; he told Del. Edith Patterson he expected to participate in local events addressing federal staffing concerns.

Ending: Hoyer urged delegation members and constituents to expect continued uncertainty in the short term and offered to return when there is more clarity on federal funding and legal outcomes. “Hopefully, if we did this 15 days from now, we'd have a little more information about what we're gonna do in the short term,” he said.