Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) is calling out President Donald Trump over what she described as “cruel and illegal” mass firings of federal employees during the ongoing government shutdown.
She says the unprecedented move jeopardizes vital public services, including education, healthcare, and national safety.
In a viral video posted Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, Brown accused Trump of firing “thousands of workers” in violation of federal law, claiming that “no president has ever fired federal workers during a shutdown.”
The congresswoman argued that Trump’s decision reflects a larger political strategy drawn from Project 2025, the controversial conservative plan to overhaul the federal government and replace civil servants with political loyalists.
“Donald Trump doesn’t have to do this — he is choosing to,” Brown said. “He’d rather fire workers than make healthcare affordable.”
According to Brown, the firings have hit several key government agencies:
- Nearly the entire staff of the Office of Special Education was dismissed, disrupting programs that ensure children with disabilities receive the support and legal protections they need.
- At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), disease trackers — including those responding to the latest measles outbreak — were reportedly terminated.
- Staff managing the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline were also affected, cutting off vital mental health resources.
- The CDFI Fund, which supports small businesses and struggling neighborhoods, has been “wiped out,” Brown said, adding that communities in Cleveland would be directly impacted.
- Workers at CISA, the agency that defends the U.S. from cyberattacks, have been targeted, as well as employees at HUD, the IRS, and the EPA, whose work protects against pollution and hazardous waste.
“These are the American workers who keep our country safe and healthy and fair,” Brown declared. “What Trump is doing is illegal. He is stealing jobs from Americans and hurting every person who depends on their service.”
The Ohio congresswoman joined other Democrats in condemning Trump’s actions, vowing to fight the firings “in Congress, in the courts, and in the community.”
She also pointed out the broader stakes, linking the crisis to Trump’s continued refusal to prioritize affordable healthcare and essential social services.
A Dangerous Political Gambit
Political observers note that Trump’s move may be part of a broader effort to dismantle federal bureaucracy and consolidate power — echoing themes from Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation-backed policy agenda that envisions replacing tens of thousands of nonpartisan civil servants with political appointees. Critics, however, argue that such actions would erode institutional independence and threaten democratic governance.
Real Lives, Real Consequences
For many Americans, the consequences of such cuts are not abstract.
Brown reminded her constituents that every dismissed worker represents a service now disrupted — from special education compliance officers to disease outbreak trackers.
“These are not numbers on a spreadsheet — they are people with families and children,” she said. “When the government stops functioning, ordinary Americans suffer.”
Brown’s remarks underscore growing alarm within the Democratic Party that Trump’s actions, if left unchecked, could normalize executive overreach. As she concluded her statement outside Cleveland’s Federal Building, Brown’s message was both defiant and urgent:
“This injustice cannot last. Democrats will not let Donald Trump fire his way out of a shutdown he created.”
