Sen. Jim Banks found himself face-to-face with a disgruntled former Health and Human Services employee on Tuesday, and what followed went viral.
In the video, a man can be heard claiming he was "fired illegally" before pressing Banks on whether he's going to do anything to "stop what's happening." The accusation is also made that social services are not being delivered due to the Trump administration's cuts at HHS and elsewhere. Judging by Banks' response, he wasn't really in the mood.
Sen. Jim Banks, BEAST mode. pic.twitter.com/YIQ6YmNJa7
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 1, 2025
MAN: Hi, I was a worker at HHS. I was fired illegally on February 14th. There are many people who are not getting social service programs, especially people with disabilities. Are you going to do anything to stop what's happening?
BANKS: Eh, you probably deserved it
MAN: I deserved it?
BANKS: You probably deserved it
WOMAN: Oh, dude, that's so rude and sad.
MAN: Yeah, that's great to hear. Why did I deserve it?
BANKS: Because you seem like a clown
(The elevator closes)
And with that, a thousand memes were born, including Banks himself making the following his profile picture.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/B7Cl8oMEoI
— Senator Jim Banks (@SenatorBanks) April 1, 2025
I don't want to just focus on the dunk here, though. That's the easy part. What's more interesting to me are the claims being made by the allegedly fired HHS worker (we don't actually know who this person is as of this writing). For one, in what way was his termination illegal? Keep in mind, we've seen judges grant questionable (at best) temporary restraining orders like candy to spite the Trump administration. Surely, if this guy had any case whatsoever, there'd have been some kind of relief granted over the last month and a half.
Understand, my initial reaction to someone who has lost their job in any situation is not to revel in that. These are people, after all, and perhaps some of them even deserve some sympathy. But the federal government is not a private corporation. It is funded by taxpayers, and it does not exist to provide jobs. This man's attempted interrogation of Banks shows a childish level of entitlement that exposes just how deep the rot is within the bureacracies. So many federal workers truly believe they should be untouchable, and that's a very perverted mindset. If anything, public employees should be under more scrutiny and held to higher standards than other workers. If taxpayer money isn't being used wisely, that has to be the priority.
Then, there's the claim that people with disabilities aren't receiving social services due to these cutbacks. I'd love to know where this guy got that idea from. I've seen no evidence that checks aren't still going out on time, whether we are talking Social Security, disability, food stamps, or any other entitlements. That kind of fear-mongering needs to stop. There is no shortage of government workers left in these agencies to keep the money flowing. For context, there are around three million federal employees. Even with some fat being trimmed, you're still talking about an astronomical number of taxpayer-funded jobs.
Did this guy "seem like a clown?" I'll let you decide if you agree with Banks or not on that front, but certainly, his arguments were clownish. A government can't be run on emotion because a government does not produce anything itself. Taxpayers need to know their money is being used smartly and efficiently. Everything else is noise.
Every single day, here at RedState, we stand up and fight against the radical left, delivering the conservative commentary and reporting our readers deserve.
Help us continue to tell the truth. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member