Part of Donald Trump’s mission in his second presidential term is to eliminate government waste, including jobs he sees as wasteful. This has led to mass layoffs that most recently hit the Department of Health and Human Services, where Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced 10,000 roles would be cut, per ABC News. When one of those staffers decided not to step down quietly, he received major pushback from a Republican senator.
An HHS employee who was affected by the agency’s recent sweeping layoffs, who has been identified as Mack Schroeder, decided to ask someone on Capitol Hill for answers, only to be insulted even more than he already had been.
Schroeder approached Senator Jim Banks of Indiana in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C. on April 1, not on behalf of himself, but on behalf of those he once helped.
“Hi, I was a worker at HHS,” he said. “I was fired illegally on February 14. There are many people who are not getting social service programs, especially people with disabilities. Are you going to do anything to stop what’s happening?”
Schroeder filmed Banks during the encounter to get his response on the record. It’s a good thing he did because what he said was nothing short of unbelievable.“You probably deserved it,” Banks said coolly. “I deserved it?” Schroeder repeated, confused. Someone with Schroeder chimed in off-camera, saying, “That’s so rude and sad!”
“Wow, that’s great to hear,” Schroeder continued. “Why did I deserve it?” It gets worse. “Because you seem like a clown,” Banks replied with a smirk before the doors to the elevator he was entering closed.
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Although the identity of the person questioning Banks was originally unknown, CNN was able to confirm it was Schroeder and invited him to be interviewed on CNN News Central with Brianna Keilar and Boris Sanchez. Keilar explained that, since the layoffs, many HHS employees have been staging protests at the U.S. Capitol, which is when Schroeder encountered Banks.
Sanchez asked Schroeder if he was “doing anything clownish” at the time the video was filmed that would warrant such a response from Banks. “Not that it seemed like,” he replied. “I was really just there to, not even talk about getting my job back, or being reinstated. I just wanted to ask him what he was doing to ensure the residents in his state are getting the services they’re entitled to, as we cut workers who are really ensuring that grants go out the door to programs.”
Schroeder further explained that he personally worked on programs for people with disabilities and the elderly. “Were you surprised by Senator Banks’ reaction?” Keilar asked. “I mean, what did you think?”
“I was,” he said. “I was just asking what are you doing about the social services that are being cut, specifically for people with disabilities, and his response was just that I deserved to get fired.”
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Banks released a statement to CNN that read in part, “I have no sympathy for left-wing activists who have been let go from overpaid positions that should never have existed.”
Although many are calling for an apology, Banks refused to offer one and posted a video on X in which he explained why. “A clown is a clown, who’s chasing senators through the halls with a cell phone, complaining about losing a left-wing ‘woke’ job in the federal government that should have never been a federal job to begin with,” he stated.
Although he may be refusing to back down, Banks is ultimately accountable to his constituents, and it will be their opinion on the issue that truly matters.
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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
