Texas congressional members are getting an earful for not scheduling any public town hall meetings in their districts. Lawmakers are instead hosting town halls by telephone.
Former Democratic Congresswoman Gabby Giffords of Arizona called out Tyler Republican Louie Gohmert’s rejection of calls for town hall meetings. Giffords was shot at a town hall-type meeting in 2011.
Gohmert said in a statement that with many town halls being disrupted in recent days, doing so would pose a safety hazard.
KTRH News reached out Thursday to several Houston area lawmakers about the lack of town halls, but none were available for comment.
“I do a lot of town halls,” Rep. Michael Burgess told a Dallas television station last week. “The time I've been in Congress its probably at or above 100. Right now the work is in Washington.”
“I think I've done one town hall prior to Easter in the 14 years I've been in office, so that is not a common occurrence.”
Meanwhile, a private speaking engagement by Houston Rep. John Culberson this week drew protesters upset with the Trump administration's policies, as well as a counter-protest hyped as a free-speech rally.
“Its time to be courageous,” says Andy Valadez, a spokersperson for the Self Defense Fund, a gun rights advocacy group. “We elect these officials, they all swear an oath to the constitution, but a lot of them, once they get into office they abandon the constitution.”