“Where Is Wittman?” Town Hall with Senator Ghazala Hashmi

The meeting room at the North Courthouse Road Library in Richmond buzzed with energy in mid-April, as constituents gathered for a town hall with our representative Rob Wittman—but the Republican Congressman’s chair was once again empty.

As we’ve seen in other district’s around the country, a local Democrat stepped up to listen to the people. State Senator Ghazala Hashmi (District 15) headlined the “Where’s Wittman?” Town Hall. More than 100 people lined up to be heard.

Hashmi told neighbors how the federal government’s chaotic changes have been impacting Virginians since Trump 2.0 began. She highlighted the threats to social security; FEMA’s cancellation of Richmond’s $12 million grant (thus jeopardizing upgrades to the city’s water treatment plant); and DOGE’s slashing of federal jobs.

Hashmi pointed out that she represents ten thousand federal workers, so the loss of federal jobs isn’t just a problem for northern Virginia—its ripple effect could impact all Virginians.

Constituents shared their concerns about legislation, such as the SAVE Act and its potential to disenfranchise female voters. One person shared that the League of Women Voters is up in arms about this blatant attempt to strip women of their voting rights.

Another constituent raised the alarm about Virginia’s affordable housing crisis. Someone else spoke out to affirm the importance of supporting diversity, equity, and inclusivity in our communities.

Neighbors want concrete strategies they can use to stem the tidal wave of the devastating federal cuts. One neighbor even brought a stack of pre-written postcards to share with anyone who wanted to help resist government authoritarianism.

To help answer the call, Senator Hashmi emphasized the importance of showing up and showing out for events like this. She also encouraged people to keep calling and writing our representatives at both the state and federal level. Hashmi says Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly claim they aren’t receiving many calls from worried constituents, so here’s your call to action: if you have a Republican representative, start ringing their phone off the hook!