Letter: Langworthy; Big on Talk, Short on Evidence<\/p>\n
Congressman Nick Langworthy held another phone-in town hall on March 11. He started by saying the calls have been \u201cvery popular,\u201d but the evidence for that is slim considering the comments from voters at the March 21 protest at his Corning office.<\/p>\n
During the town hall, he responded to 10 pre-screened calls.<\/p>\n
Langworthy praised President Trump, claiming the American people \u201cgave us a mandate to renew the American Dream.\u201d Langworthy supported that claim by comparing Trump\u2019s 49.8% of the vote to Bill Clinton\u2019s 42% even though Langworthy acknowledged that Clinton was in a three-way race, which lowered the percentage for all the candidates.<\/p>\n
Langworthy said the continuing resolution that the House had passed \u201cmaintains government operations. It upholds responsibility to our nation\u2019s veterans; it protects Social Security, it protects Medicare, and it protects Medicaid recipients from the distortion and confusion that a government shutdown would cause.\u201d<\/p>\n
And later in the call, he said what was happening was \u201cright sizing\u201d the government. He gave no evidence that any of his statements were valid.<\/p>\n
Langworthy talked a lot about \u201cwaste and fraud\u201d but didn\u2019t produce any evidence.<\/p>\n
While he claimed Social Security payments are going to deceased individuals, according to Snopes.com and Factcheck.org, very few dead people are getting payments; certainly not the 72 billion dollars in improper payments he claims were paid from 2015 through 2022.<\/p>\n
One caller criticized the mass firing of federal workers, such as those inspecting food, and said that \u201cthis is not efficiency, this is Project 2025.\u201d Langworthy claimed that the number of federal workers is unnecessary. His justification is that workers haven\u2019t reported to their official workplaces in years.<\/p>\n
My niece works remotely. While that gives her flexibility, she is compelled to work beyond a normal workday to maximize productivity. Her job is not only necessary; it\u2019s at least as effective as if she were in her workplace, and her regular promotions support that. Her employer chose this setup as a cost-saving measure.<\/p>\n
Langworthy also claimed, \u201cThe one thing we are going to restore to this government is accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n
I suspect he regrets saying that now that officials have been caught discussing war plans over an unsecure phone app. <\/p>\n
In responding to a question about how we could build a better relationship with Canada, Langworthy seems not to understand border security. Langworthy called our northern border a security risk because \u201cCanada has extremely lax immigration laws.\u201d I have traveled to Canada annually for over three decades. It is the United States’ border control that regulates our reentry to the United States, not the Canadians\u2019. Hasn\u2019t Langworthy ever visited Canada? <\/p>\n
Langworthy then discussed Canada\u2019s tariffs, claiming they discourage \u201cour dairy industry from bringing those products into Canada.\u201d However, Canada was the second highest importer of U.S. dairy products last year. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Company, Canada imported $530 million more from the United States than it exported to the U.S. Exactly what is the issue? <\/p>\n
The last caller asked about inflation and the price of eggs. Langworthy responded by explaining that avian flu had wiped out flocks of chickens, creating a decrease in supply and therefore causing the increase in price. Why didn\u2019t he figure that out while Biden was president instead of blaming him for the price of eggs? Finally, Langworthy referred to the possibility of using vaccines so flocks stay healthy. What a novel idea to vaccinate to prevent disease!<\/p>\n
Please, Congressman Langworthy, meet face to face with your constituents to hear their concerns and responses to your comments. Stop hiding.<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
Joan Davis<\/p>\n
Owego, N.Y.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Letter: Langworthy; Big on Talk, Short on Evidence Congressman Nick Langworthy held another phone-in town hall on March 11. He started by saying the calls…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":82352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-letters"],"yoast_head":"\n