Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Chair, my amendment would do one thing: It will reduce the salary of the special assistant to the director of programming at Voice of America to $1.

This amendment follows an internal investigation which concluded the special assistant to the director of programming at Voice of America had misused Federal taxpayer dollars and lied on her resume. She was fired under the previous administration and then rehired at the beginning of this administration.

Mr. Chair, I submit to you that people who misuse taxpayer dollars have no business being paid by taxpayers, and they should be fired.

We need to get rid of corruption in our government. My amendment would do just that. I am requesting to reduce her salary to $1.

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Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Chair, I submit to you that the duty of folks that work for the American taxpayer is not to lie and not to take taxpayer money illegally.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Chair, I rise to speak on this amendment, which will reduce the salary of the chief management officer for the U.S. Agency for Global Media to $1.

The chief management officer of the U.S. Agency for Global Media is responsible for rehiring Setareh Sieg, who knowingly misused Federal tax dollars and lied on her resume.

Whistleblowers have come forth to shed light on the rampant misuse of taxpayer dollars, and the chief management officer at the U.S. Agency for Global Media is responsible for rehiring the individual that did so.

There should be no place for this conduct in public service, Mr. Chair. I am requesting the salary of the chief management officer at the U.S. Agency for Global Media be reduced to $1.

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Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Chair, we cannot continue to keep rewarding bad behavior. This isn't some soccer game where nobody keeps score and everybody gets a trophy. This is the American government. We are responsible to the taxpayers for this money.

I submit to you, Mr. Chair, that this type of activity, if we turn the other cheek, it will continue to run rampant in our society and in our government, and we have got to start somewhere, Mr. Chair.

We are $33 trillion in debt, and paying people that are doing things that are illegal should not be the makeup of this government.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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