Barton: Pennsylvania Jobs Should be Filled by Hardworking Pennsylvanians

March 6, 2025

HARRISBURG - Rep. Jamie Barton (R-Berks/Schuylkill) issued the following response to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s executive order to hire fired federal workers in Pennsylvania:

“When President Trump created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he did it to cut back on government waste, fraud and abuse. The fired federal workers were let go because their jobs were deemed excessive, duplicative, unnecessary or some combination of the three. If the federal government has identified people who don't want to work, or refuse to come into work, why in heaven’s name would Gov. Shapiro look to hire those folks? He’s not just inviting them to apply for open positions in Pennsylvania, he’s moving them to the front of the line!

“That treatment is usually afforded to people already working to serve the Commonwealth in our state government. Is the governor implying that bureaucrats from Washington are equally valuable to Pennsylvania as tenured Pennsylvania state workers? Further, is he implying those Washington bureaucrats are more valuable than Pennsylvanians looking for a career in public service? Pennsylvania jobs should be filled by hardworking Pennsylvanians, not Washingtonians.

“For the past three weeks, I have worked diligently as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, looking for ways to reduce government spending. That’s because the governor has proposed a budget that will wipe out the Rainy Day Fund, and now, he’s recruiting federal workers to take jobs that should be filled by Pennsylvanians. Rather than rushing to fill open positions and spend more taxpayer money, maybe the governor should think about all the good a DOGE could do at the state level.”