7 hours Ago By The Guardian
Angry voters are holding empty chair town halls as Republican members of Congress are refusing to hold those meetings with constituents. Weeks into Donald Trump’s second term as president, Republican members of Congress were advised by the National Republican Congressional Committee against holding in person town halls with constituents, as several cases of Republican members of Congress being berated by constituents over federal worker firings and cuts went viral. Police used a stun gun and arrested three protesters at a town hall held by congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene earlier this month.
Attendees at a town hall held by Iowa Republican senator Chuck Grassley demanded answers from Grassley on the US president’s policies. New York Republican congressman Mike Lawler faced a chorus of boos from constituents at a town hall this past weekend. On Sunday, Trump said disruptors at town halls should be “immediately ejected” and claimed without evidence that “radical left Democrats” are paying people to infiltrate town halls.
In Florida’s third congressional district, Republican congresswoman Kat Cammack, has not held a town hall, virtual or in person, since before Trump took office in January. Cammack, who first came to office in 2021 as one of the youngest members of Congress, repeated false claims about election fraud in the 2020 election lost by Trump to Biden and challenged the results. The district, comprising Gainesville and Ocala, Florida, with largely rural areas of Northwest Florida has voted firmly Republican, with Cammack first winning the seat in 2020 with 57.
1% of the vote and securing re-election in 2022 and 2024 with more than 60% of the vote. Gainesville, the largest city in the district, and home to the University of Florida, typically favors Democrats, with Kamala Harris winning Alachua county by 60% to 39% for Trump in the 2024 election. Voters in Gainesville and High Springs, Florida, a rural area north of the city, held empty chair town halls this past week after Cammack declined to hold a town hall after numerous requests.
At a 25 April empty chair town hall in Gainesville, Florida, several constituents, which included retired federal workers and teachers, expressed frustration with a lack of response from Cammack’s office and several cited promises from her office that a town hall would be scheduled in April 2025. “People are afraid. They’re celebrating when their social security check shows up because they’re afraid it might not,” said Jenn Powell, co-chair of the Alachua County Labor Coalition, and one of the organizers of the town hall.
“So while Kat Cammack is not listening to her constituents, we decided to have a town hall without her, and will deliver the forms of questions and video to her office.” About 100 voters attended, addressing the empty chair with questions and concerns about cuts to federal services and research impacting the University of Florida, the largest employer and by far biggest economic driver in the region. “Why are we not looking out for research that fuels this town?” a voter asked the empty chair.
Voters also expressed complaints about inaction from Congress on the Trump administration’s cuts tocongressionally mandated and funded programs, issues with social security, and drastic cuts to programs benefitting small farmers and the impact of tariffs on farmers. They cited that Cammack authored the Reins Act to prevent executive overreach, but has not reintroduced the legislation since Trump took office. “She’s not trying to listen to her constituents, and that’s a problem for the people who elected her.
How can you not hear from us, or don’t want to hear from us when we have major concerns?” said Ebonie Bryant, chair of the Alachua county Democratic party. “We just want to make sure that the person that we elected knows how we feel, so they could properly represent us.” In High Springs, Florida, about 50 people attended an empty chair town hall on 27 April, where voters expressed similar concerns and questions about violations of the US constitution by the Trump administration’s actions.
One voter, a rural community health nurse, among others, expressed concerns with proposed cuts to Head Start programs and misinformation about autism pushed by health and human services secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. “Cuts to head start would be devastating and more programs are needed. What are you going to do to fund these programs?” she asked the empty chair.
A teacher who said they were five months away from social security retirement benefits said: “I’m terrified something will happen that will prevent me or anyone from receiving it.” Related: ‘No safe seat’: could Democrats make Florida a swing state again? Another voter, a resident of Levy county, said at the town hall they are concerned about cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the county is still recovering from Hurricane Helene last year. “We are still rebuilding,” they said.
“I need you to represent us, not Trump.” Asia Eichmiller, president of the Democratic Women’s Club of north Alachua county, who organized the town hall in High Springs, said Cammack or her office did not respond to invitations and follow up calls and emails to the event. “It’s very important for us to hear from her because of what’s been going on the past 100 days with the presidency of Donald Trump,” said Eichmiller.
“These are people. These are her constituents who want to talk with her about these issues that are really affecting their lives.” In a statement on the town halls, Cammack, did not comment on scheduling a town hall in the district or any plans to do so in the future, but argued she met with individuals and has held town halls and events in the past.
“Our office has a standing policy to meet with any constituent, and this week alone, have met with over three dozen individuals. Furthermore, over the last four years, our office has hosted over 36 town halls via teletown halls and in-person events with 390k constituents participating over the course of four years. We’ve also responded to over 547,000 letters, marking our commitment to transparency,” Cammack said in a statement.
“These so-called ‘empty chair’ town halls are performative and designed for theatre, not productive conversations. I am interested in collaboration, not conflict.”.
