An Indiana senator had a cutthroat response to a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) worker who asked the lawmaker Tuesday if he would do anything to stop mass layoffs.
Former HHS budget analyst Mack Schroeder approached Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) in the Senate office building after he was fired.
Banks’ response?
“You probably deserved it,” he said. “You seem like a clown.”
In the viral video Schroeder is seen following the senator as he briskly walks away and enters an elevator.
“Hi, I was a worker at HHS. I was fired illegally on Feb. 14, there are many people who are not getting social service programs, especially people with disabilities,” Schroeder says in the clip.
The senator just glances at him over his shoulder before resuming his march to the elevator.
“Are you going to do anything to stop what’s happening?” Schroeder presses as Banks enters the elevator. The senator finally turns to face the disgruntled worker.
Banks then tells Schroeder that he probably deserved it, as other staffers in the elevator look on awkwardly.
“I deserved it?” asked Schroeder, shocked.
The senator then repeats his statement.
“I deserved it, wow, that’s great to hear,” scoffs Schroeder. “Why did I deserve it?”
“Cause you seem like a clown,” says Banks, pointing at him. He then smirks as the elevator closed.
Schroeder was an HHS worker who helped provide support to older Americans and people with disabilities.
Banks responded to the controversy in a social media post Wednesday, saying he wouldn’t apologize “for speaking the truth.”
“The Democrats and the left-wing media have lost their minds because I told a left-wing activist in the halls of the Senate office buildings yesterday what I really thought,” he said. “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 job to begin with.”
Banks also said he had “no sympathy.”
“I support President Trump and the DOGE effort 100 percent... and we’re just getting started,” he said.
After the video made rounds on social media, Banks basked in the glory, including changing his profile picture to a screenshot of the clip. Democrats and Republicans were divided on the senator’s response, with former Senate Deputy Health Policy Director Marissa D. Barrera calling it “egregious” and conservative internet personality Eric Daugherty calling it “funny.”
Schroeder said an interview with FOX59/CBS4 that he was alarmed by the senator’s response.
“It just really surprised me and took me aback because I know there are going to be a lot of people in the state of Indiana who are losing services as of today with these huge cuts to HHS,” he said. “I would hope that he would care more about his constituents to have concerns about a lot of these programs changing.”
Although courts have not yet made a ruling on whether the HHS firings are legal or not, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is going forward with sweeping reforms. On Tuesday he further escalated his plan to slash 10,000 full-time jobs from agencies tasked with promoting public health, regulating food and drugs, and more. The National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration are all affected.
Kennedy’s attacks have mostly taken aim at federal aging, disability, and anti-poverty programs.
“The entire federal workforce is downsizing now. So this will be a painful period for HHS,” he said in a video announcement last week.
The move is all part of DOGE leader Elon Musk’s grand plan to axe the federal government and reduce HHS’ workforce from 82,000 to 62,000.
