Sen. Jim Banks Tells HHS Employee Who Lost Job ‘You Probably Deserved It’
Republican Sen. Jim Banks told a former Health and Human Services employee that he “probably deserved” to lose his job in a viral video on Tuesday, April 1.
The brief interaction between the U.S. senator from Indiana and Mack Schroeder was caught on video and shared by multiple outlets, including NBC News’ TikTok account.
In the video, Schroeder, who does not appear on camera, follows and questions Banks as he is escorted to an elevator.
“Hi, I was a worker at HHS. I was fired illegally on Feb. 14,” he said, referring to recent, mass layoffs and firings under the Trump administration. “There are many people who are not getting social service programs, especially people with disabilities. Are you gonna do anything to stop what’s happening?”
“You probably deserved it,” Banks said once inside the elevator.
The former HHS employee and a woman standing near him seem taken aback by Banks’ response, both audibly exhibiting surprise.
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“I deserved it?” Schroeder asked.
“You probably deserved it,” Banks repeated.
“Wow,” the woman is heard saying. “That’s so rude and sad.”
“Why did I deserve it?” Schroeder asked.
The senator does not change his outlook, replying, “Because you seem like a clown.” He then smiled as the elevator doors closed.
According to WISH-TV, Schroeder and other laid-off employees were gathered in the basement of the Senate chamber of the U.S. Capitol building when they encountered Banks.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty
“I went to Washington to decrease the size and scope of the federal government,” a rep for Banks said in a statement to the outlet. “No one is entitled to a taxpayer-funded job, especially in positions that waste those funds. I fully support President Trump and DOGE’s (Department of Government Efficiency) mission to eliminate waste.”
Banks also doubled down on his remarks via social media Tuesday.
“YO. Senator Jim Banks just called a wrongfully terminated HHS worker a “clown” and said he “deserved” to lose his job. Seriously?!?” an X user tweeted, adding the video footage. “That is not how U.S. Senators should talk to civil servants. That is egregious.”
Banks reposted her message, writing, “Hard truth!”
On March 27, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services in President Donald Trump’s cabinet, announced major job cuts in the federal workforce.
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The number of employees was expected to go from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees, cutting roughly 10,000 workers.
“The entire federal workforce is downsizing now. So this will be a painful period for HHS,” Kennedy, 71, said in a video announcement shared by the department. He added, “We’re going to eliminate an entire alphabet soup of departments and agencies while preserving their core functions.”
According to the Associated Press, layoff notices went out Tuesday for U.S. Health and Human Services Department staff, and is expected to save $1.8 billion annually — about 0.1% — from the department’s $1.7 trillion budget.
