Warner Robins GOP congressman faces heat over town hall absence amid federal budget slashes

Rep. Austin Scott, the Republican congressman for Georgia’s 8th Congressional District, was noticeably absent from a town hall in Warner Robins Thursday where constituents expressed anger over President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s cuts to federal funding.

The town hall — which was hosted by a chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees, a union for federal employees — invited constituents of Georgia’s 2nd and 8th Districts. Rep. Sanford Bishop, a Democrat who represents Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District, was in attendance and Scott was invited.

More than 100 people showed up to express frustration over Trump and Musk targeting federal funding through the Department of Government Efficiency, an organization within the executive branch that is not a cabinet-level office, despite what its name implies.

The organization, which is spearheaded by Musk, aims to slash federal spending and reduce the federal government’s workforce. So far it has targeted foreign aid, education spending, contracts and lease agreements among other things, although many of those actions are under scrutiny by experts and courts.

Trump and Musk’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government and its spending have also generated pushback from voters, with town halls like Thursday’s springing up across the country.

GOP lawmakers stopped attending the town halls earlier this month after House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, told them not to go, echoing Trump’s claims they are being attended by professional protesters and agitators. Minority House Leader Hakeem Jeffries rebuked a claim regarding hire protesters by saying “We don’t need paid protestors. The American people are with us,” according to the Associated Press.

Julie Savoy, who lives in Georgia’s 8th Congressional District and attended Thursday’s town hall, said she feels her concerns are disregarded by Scott. She attended another town hall that took place Monday outside of Rep. Scott’s Warner Robins office, from which he was also missing.

“He only hears what he wants to hear,” Savoy said. “He only seems to come around when he wants money or a vote.”

Congressman says not enough notice given for town hall

A representative from Scott’s office said in an email to The Telegraph that Scott was unable to attend the town hall due to other obligations and “a lack of significant advance notice” from organizers, who his office said reached out to Scott two days before the event.

The representative also said in the email that Scott’s senior legislative staff in Washington, D.C., met with the American Federation of Government Employees Georgia State Council to discuss their concerns surrounding Trump, Musk and DOGE.

But constituents say Scott being a no-show at town halls isn’t new.

Many attendees at Thursday’s town hall struggled to remember the last time Scott hosted a public town hall.

Faye Banks-Anderson, another resident of Scott’s district, said while Scott does pay visits to Robins Air Force Base on a regular basis to visit uniformed service members, those generate little discussion due to the U.S. military’s policy forbidding certain types of expression while in uniform.

Guidance from the Department of Defense Standards of Conduct Office said active service members are forbidden from engaging in “partisan political activity.”

According to media reports, Rep. Scott last held a town hall in 2015. His office did not answer questions about when he last held a public town hall, but did confirm he met with leadership at Robins Air Force Base last month.

Scott said he is committed to meeting with constituents and hearing their concerns in an email to The Telegraph.

“For over 14 years, I have continually met with constituents, local advocacy groups, and industries about their concerns and priorities, and I will continue to do so both here in Georgia and D.C.,” Scott said. “I’m proud to represent more than 750,000 Georgians, and every constituent has the right to share their concerns with me through my office.”

Constituents said, however, that they have struggled to reach Scott. Savoy said despite numerous attempts to contact his office about DOGE, she has received few responses.

“I call my representative daily, he never calls me back. He never emails me other than a canned email that’s just written by somebody,” Savoy said. “He only hears what he wants to hear.”

Banks-Anderson expressed similar frustration. She has also called and emailed his office numerous times, but feels the responses she receives are more to placate her rather than hear her concerns.

“It lets you know, unequivocally, that you don’t matter,” Banks-Anderson said.

Meanwhile, attendees at Thursday’s town hall said they fear for their jobs, their communities and their livelihoods.

Georgia’s 2nd and 8th districts are home to about 40% of Georgia’s federal workers. December 2024 data from the Congressional Research Service shows that 17,647 federal employees live in Scott’s district, making up about 5% of all workers.

Banks-Anderson, who is a retired Robins Air Base employee, said she and her husband, a veteran and a retired federal contractor, centered their lives around their civil and military service to their country. She feels Scott’s absence at town halls reflects a disregard for people in his district who are employed at the base.

“He’s too afraid to go up against Trump because he doesn’t want to lose his job, but what about our jobs?” Banks-Anderson said.

Scott told The Telegraph via email that he remains committed to protecting federal employees, but stands behind agencies cooperating with DOGE.

“DOGE’s recent requests for federal employees should have been coordinated with the agencies before they were issued,” Scott said. “I fully support those agencies working with DOGE to improve efficiency and eliminate tax dollar waste.”

Tristan Barfield, who attended Thursday’s town hall and lives in Scott’s district, said he is frustrated by the lack of urgency from leaders because his grandmother relies on Social Security to survive.

The agency has announced plans to get rid of thousands of jobs in response to DOGE’s pressure to cut costs. It has also offered early retirements and other incentives for staffers to depart even as the agency’s staffing is at a 50-year low point. Media reports said staffers have expressed concerns about Social Security’s ability to function with the cuts.

According to December 2023 data from the Social Security Administration, Georgia’s 8th Congressional District has 258,532 Social Security beneficiaries.

Barfield said he feels that elected leaders including Rep. Scott aren’t listening to constituents, and constituents are losing their patience.

“Not only are our interests more important than their job security, we are their job security,” Barfield said.