HAYMARKET, Va. — Democratic Rep. Suhas Subramanyam kicked off a town hall in his district on Thursday urging federal workers to share their stories.
“This is not the time to be afraid,” the congressman said from the stage of a high school auditorium. “Come to me, at least, and tell your stories.”
They responded immediately.
“We are hemorrhaging talent,” one constituent, who introduced herself as an employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said during the event. “They are having to triage production issues until two o’clock in the morning … and these people are being fired for ‘poor performance.’”
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More than 30,000 federal employees reside in Subramanyam’s district, an unusually high concentration because of the proximity to Washington. The Trump administration’s efforts to cut down on federal employee jobs are creating instability in this community, and the anxiety and anger from the people experiencing those changes firsthand was palpable before the town hall had even started.
A line of about a hundred people snaked around the entrance an hour ahead of the event as voter registration volunteers spoke with residents. As the event began, the local county chair’s office passed out one-page resource guides with information for federal employees to receive assistance.
When news broke that a federal judge ordered the Office of Personnel Management to rescind memos that instructed several federal agencies to pursue mass firings of probationary employees (a temporary order that reportedly doesn’t give fired workers their jobs back), members of Subramanyam’s staff immediately told him.
“We just got news that one of the lawsuits was successful in stopping the firings of all probationary workers,” the congressman told the crowd from the stage.
The audience cheered.
Town halls can be an early indicator of public sentiment, and Republican lawmakers across the country have recently been getting an earful at events like these from their constituents. In this blue district, attendees were largely aligned with Subramanyam and other Democrats.
But it wasn’t all venting at the Trump administration. There was also some frustration over what Democrats, who have little power in Washington, are doing to try to stop the president.
“I’m an archivist with the National Archives,” said one constituent. “I have serious concerns, and I’m wondering, what are you going to do about that? I remember during the first Trump administration there were Democrats like John Lewis whose voice was booming in opposition, and I don’t see that anymore.”
Subramanyam wasn’t the only elected official urging government workers to share their experiences. Virginia state Sen. Danica Roem, a Democrat, said it’s important for federal workers to give their first-hand accounts, which can be difficult for many federal employees who are worried about repercussions at work.
“Please share your stories with us,” Roem told the crowd. “It really is so important.”
The town hall, which lasted more than an hour and a half, wasn’t enough time for all of the constituents to get to the microphone. About a dozen people were still lined up when the congressman’s staff announced they had to end the event, though he stayed behind after to talk to them.
Peggy McNichol, of Prince William County, was one of the last to trickle out.
“It was motivating,” McNichol told NOTUS. “Even if it was sad and upsetting, to hear all the stories tonight.”
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Amelia Benavides-Colón is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.
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