By Heather Michon
Correspondent
Rep. John McGuire (R-VA5) held a “Telephone Town Hall” on Tuesday night (May 6), his second since taking office in January.
McGuire opened the hour-long session by touting the accomplishments of his first 100 days in office, including his sponsorship of over 70 bills aimed at “delivering on President Trump’s promises to the American people.”
Among the bills mentioned were the Lakin Riley Act, the SAVE Act to tighten voter ID laws, the HALT Fentanyl Act, and the Gulf of America Act.
Specific to the 5th District, McGuire said his office had already secured over $200,000 in missing benefits to individual constituents and was working on legislation that could help area farmers and loggers with road restrictions and “increase supply-chain efficiency.”
McGuire took about a dozen questions from constituents on issues ranging from border security to gun rights.
The majority of questions, though, focused on cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the impact on the social safety net.
“We very much need a DOGE,” he said, describing Elon Musk as “a very successful businessman” who could bring needed efficiencies to the system.
He vowed to protect people’s benefits on programs like Social Security and Medicaid and services like SNAP and Meals on Wheels, but said wanted to root out “waste, fraud, and abuse” within the system.
“What happened to free-market Republicans?” one Albemarle County resident asked. “What is the function of Congress if not advise and consent?”
McGuire did not directly answer the question but argued that the Trump administration’s actions on deportations, tariffs, and budget cuts were the right way to go. “Things are moving in the right direction,” he said.
The freshman congressman held his first “telephone town hall” on February 26.
Republican members of Congress have faced loud and often unhappy crowds at in-person town halls all over the country, leading some to cancel open meetings in favor of more controlled environments.
McGuire explained multiple times during Tuesday’s event that his decision to hold an telephone-based meeting was due to the sheer size of the 5th District, which is roughly the size of New Jersey.
He argued that a phone-in event made it easier for a large number of constituents to participate.
Around a thousand people turned out for an “empty chair town hall” organized by the group Indivisible Charlottesville on April 27. McGuire was invited to attend, but did not respond to the request. Participants instead took turns asking question of an empty chair.
