Delaware’s Congressional delegation comes together for a virtual town hall.
Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester joined Congresswoman Sarah McBride and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings for the event. They spent a little over an hour answering constituent questions, many focused on the state of the country’s democracy.
About 2,500 people attended, asking about the efficacy of checks and balances on the Trump administration, the future of Medicare and Medicaid and federal funding freezes and firings.
Blunt Rochester told attendees Democrats are taking a multi-pronged approach to respond to Trump administration initiatives they believe go too far. She said that approach includes litigation, policy and mobilization.
“The other day, I put an amendment on the floor,” Blunt Rochester said. “I was able to speak. I think it was 4:18 in the morning, where we are slowing down this process. So that gives the courts time to do what they need to do.”
Blunt Rochester also encouraged people to continue sharing their stories and stay informed.
Coons added people should understand their role in protecting democracy is crucial.
“At a moment when so many of the guardrails of our democracy seem to be tested to their very limits, whether it's the courts or the Congress, citizen action is what's going to turn this around,” Coons said.
Several attendees voiced their concern for Elon Musk’s role in the government as a senior advisor to the president.
A court-issued order prohibits Musk and other people who entered the U.S. Treasury from using the information they obtained, according to Jennings. The order also directs him and his team to destroy the information they collected.
“They can't keep going into government buildings and getting more private information. And they have to abide by the law. If they do not, we will be there to enforce that law,” Jennings said.
McBride said about 4 thousand federal employees report working in Delaware, but she doesn’t know how many have lost their jobs.
McBride added the firings aren’t based on performance and largely target new workers or people who have changed positions recently.
“We are also seeing an effort – an explicit, named effort – by the administration to traumatize federal workers,” McBride said. “And I am also concerned with the number of workers who will leave the federal workforce due to mistreatment and frankly, in many cases, downright abuse, workplace abuse from the White House and from the political appointees in the administration.”
Coons said even those who haven’t been fired are gravely concerned about their wellbeing and financial security.
The delegation promised to hold similar events in the future to keep Delawareans informed.
