KDSN RADIO News
Iowa town halls find ’empty chairs’
(Iowa News Service) – Overflow crowds are showing up at town hall meetings in Iowa, which had been planned to allow people to ask questions of their congressional representatives. But the lawmakers are not showing up. Constituents are attending town hall meetings at libraries across the state to ask about potential changes to Social Security, cuts to government agencies – and rollbacks of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.
But Iowa American Federation of Labor President Charlie Wishman said U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller Meeks – R-Davenport – and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn – R-Bondurant – are among lawmakers who haven’t shown up to listen. “And if they don’t show up, we still have crowds that are standing room only or overflowing,” said Wishman, “just to try and talk to an empty chair.”
Wishman said advocacy groups are trying to find other ways to connect people with their representatives – including by writing postcards or emails or calling their Washington offices with questions about the Trump administration’s effort to reduce spending and downsize the federal government.
The advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency – overseen by SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk – has announced plans to terminate leases for seven federal office buildings in Iowa, including for the IRS, the Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Wishman said the cuts mean terminating important positions for federal workers in Iowa. “Bird flu people,” said Wishman, “or they work at the disease lab up in Ames or, like, something that we really need staffed,” Wishman said since lawmakers didn’t show up to the scheduled town hall meetings, attendees wrote their questions on postcards – which he says will be delivered to the congressional representatives’ offices.
