WATCH: Rep. Sherrill Defends Picatinny Workers, Slams Trump’s Civil Service Cuts as a Threat to National Security
WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) is pushing back against the Trump administration’s latest plan to gut the Department of Defense’s civilian workforce, warning that proposed civil service cuts would undermine national security and devastate North Jersey’s economy surrounding Picatinny Arsenal.
At today’s House Armed Services Committee markup of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Sherrill spoke in defense of the engineers, scientists, and support staff at Picatinny — calling them critical to U.S. military readiness and innovation. Sherrill underscored the national security risks of outsourcing their work to private contractors and weakening the institutional knowledge that makes facilities like Picatinny a cornerstone of American defense.
Click here to watch Rep. Sherrill’s full remarks.
Full remarks, as delivered:
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I speak today in strong support for my colleagues' amendment that enshrines certain protections for our DoD civilians into law which I think is completely necessary given the work of this committee to try to manage and mitigate the complete incompetence coming from the Secretary of Defense and this administration when it comes to DoD related matters.
The Trump administration’s slash to the civil service is not just an attack on government workers - it’s a direct threat to our national security and to the economic stability of communities like mine in New Jersey.
At Picatinny Arsenal we have engineers, scientists, and support staff who are building the future of our national defense; developing the weapon systems our service members rely on to stay safe and to succeed.
Picatinny is a vital hub for U.S. military innovation, especially in advanced munitions and armaments that keep our troops safe and mission ready. Cutting civil service roles here directly weakens our military’s ability to develop, test, and deliver cutting edge weaponry.
Many of our civil servants have had years of specialized training in metallurgy, physics, and chemistry, some of it at the post-grad level at the Picatinny Armaments School that I’m working to get accredited and which has graduated 41 Masters Degree recipients and two PHDs. So in delivering these cuts we will harm and weaken our military's ability to develop, test, and deliver cutting edge weaponry not just today but for years to come.
Slashing civil service positions risk shifting critical expertise to private contractors, driving up costs and reducing institutional knowledge within the government. Maintaining a robust civil service at Picatinny ensures that the U.S. retains strategic control over weapons development and innovation.
Cutting civil service jobs at Picatinny Arsenal is not just an attack on New Jersey workers, it’s an attack on our national security. And as someone who has served our country, I know we need to strengthen not weaken our defense capabilities. I will fight to protect every job and every innovation effort at Picatinny, because America’s security depends on it.
Thank you and I yield back.”
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