Kiley town hall leaves some callers hanging

District 3 constituents attempted to join Rep. Kevin Kiley's town hall after putting pressure on him to speak about important issues. While many got onto the call, many others were unable to connect to the call message due to overwhelming demand. The town hall began at 6:30 p.m. Monday and ended at 8 p.m. Kiley's office said more than 25,000 participants joined. Before the call Many were unable to enter the call and hit with an automated message rejecting them. Gold Country Media called into the Kiley town hall and received an automated message: "Sorry, due to overwhelming demand, we are unable to connect you to your conference at this time. Goodbye." A spokesman for Kiley said only a small amount of callers were blocked from entering the town hall but didn't give a specific number. Four minutes after the town hall began, people all over Placer County were receiving calls from an automated Kiley saying he invited them to the town hall. If you answered the call, it would connect you with the town hall bypassing the rejection line many faced. If you didn't answer the call, you got an automated message: "I called to invite you to a live telephone town hall meeting that I held to give you the opportunity to ask questions about the issues that are most important to you. I'm sorry that I missed you this time but will be doing it again." People who RSVP'd did not get first priority and did not receive a call inviting them to the virtual town hall. During the call Kiley answered questions about the federal budget, DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), Ukraine and more. These are all topics that were brought up during the March Forth on March 4th protest in Placer County. Residents were curious about social security protections and Medicaid budgeting. In response to a Brownsville resident asking about budget cuts, Kiley said since he has taken office, he has known the United States must protect Social Security. "In fact, when we passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act in 2023, which actually will reduce the deficit significantly over the course of the next decade, we did so without cutting Social Security, without cutting Medicare and we actually increased benefits for our veterans," Kiley shared. "Not only that, but I sponsored what's called the Social Security Fairness Act, which is going to go into effect this next month. … What's more, when we're looking at how we can actually get some savings when it comes to Medicaid, the biggest opportunity is simply the waste, fraud and abuse that exists within the system. There was a finding by the General Accounting Office, which is a non-partisan entity, that there's $50 billion every year in improper Medicaid payments." An Auburn resident asked about declining consumer confidence among the declining stock market and the current executive branch's "flaunting of court orders and the continuation of illegal acts." Kiley said he didn't agree with the characterization the resident made but agreed there was volatility in the market but that the market has potential for growth. "I can't say I agree with every characterization that you just made, but I do appreciate the feedback," he said. "And, you know, I think that there has been some volatility in the market lately, for sure. But when you look at the general tenor of things, there was a survey nationwide done over the weekend about whether folks think that we're on the right track or the wrong track and it was right track was 20 points higher than it was just a few months ago. So I think there have been a lot of good changes." A Bowman resident called in and shared that their daughter, who workers for FEMA, has been fully remote. The new Department of Government Efficiency is requesting her to drive two hours to a federal building so she can work in person. The resident said driving to the office will cost four hours of work a day. "What is your plan to stop these unelected people from ruining my daughter's life this way and wasting our time and money?" they questioned. Kiley said he was sorry to hear that and needed more specifics. "For your daughter, I probably have to know a little bit more about the specific situation and the reasons that those decisions were made," he said. "But if you want to, you know, provide, stay on the line and we'll get your information. I'd be happy to follow up with you and hear more." Kiley also answered questions about peace in the Russia-Ukraine war. The question asked: "I'm wondering what you are willing to do to assure that Ukraine has a just and lasting peace?" Kiley spoke fondly of the Ukrainian community. "You know, I've had the chance to go to events and celebrations and festivals and a number of other functions with the Ukrainian community here in the Sacramento region for many years, you know, long before the current conflict. ... It's an incredibly vibrant community here," he shared. "It's so important to the character of the entire region. And I've had many meetings with folks, as you know, under the incredibly challenging times of these last few years." He also shared he does support the ongoing assistance the US has provided in the war, "while also insisting on reforms and accountability so that we'd have a better sense of where that funding was going. And so at this point, you know, the president has said that his goal is to bring peace. To be honest, at this stage of things, you know, the foreign policy element is largely being conducted by the president, but there will certainly be a role for Congress and it relates to many of the things that you talked about. So I think that to the extent that there are really issues that will need to continue to be addressed, like the issue with the returned children, I'd love to have a conversation with you about ways that we can work on that going forward." Following the town hall A statement from Kiley said another town hall is being scheduled. "We are working to schedule another as soon as possible so more constituents can provide input and ask questions," said the statement. "Regrettably, a small number of people using one method for joining the event were unable to connect because of a technical issue. That issue will be resolved for our next town hall." His constituents still feel unsatisfied with communication from Kiley and want an in-person town hall. Nick Bennet, the chair of the Placer County Democratic Party, said Kiley sidestepped concerns about the current presidential administration. "While we appreciate efforts from our federal representatives to communicate directly with constituents, listening awkwardly over the phone to misleading talking points is not enough," Bennet stated. "Representative Kiley states that his highest priority is constituent services, yet he chooses to sidestep concerns about the chaos being created by Donald Trump and Elon Musk that are impacting his constituents. Placer County residents and California's 3rd Congressional District need more than Kiley's constant blaming of California while ignoring the harm being inflicted by the current administration in Washington, D.C." Constituents are still looking for Kiley to do an in-person town hall meeting. Indivisible Nevada County is hosting an in-person town hall on March 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Miners Foundry in Nevada City. The group has invited Kiley but has not received a response. Kathy Dotson, the spokesperson for the Nevada County chapter of Indivisible, said a spokesman for Kiley said he would not participate in their town hall. "We have been working for several weeks to offer a time and place for the congressman to participate in our town hall, but only this morning did Kiley's office inform us that he will not participate, even though he will be in the district." A South Lake Tahoe-based organization, Concerned Citizens of CD3, is also hosting a town hall on the same day from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lake Tahoe Community College. Sue Chandler, spokesperson for Concerned Citizens of CD3, said: "There is no excuse for our congressman to not attend our gathering when he is in the same city at the same time. Unfortunately, Kiley has chosen partisanship over representation." The Nevada City and South Lake Tahoe town halls still welcome Kiley to attend. The Folsom Area Democratic Club hosted a protest at Kiley's Rocklin office on Tuesday. Auburn resident Sue Michaels said they are continuing to put pressure on Kiley to have an in-person town hall, saying, "We just wanna continue to keep the pressure up that we want an in-person town hall meeting and we're not gonna relent until we get one, or two or three." Trish Wallen, an Auburn resident, said the virtual town hall felt like an hour and a half of her life was wasted. She felt only 20 questions were answered and Kiley spent the time answering in a way that stayed true to his political party. "Kiley is just perpetuating the lie of the Republican party basically. He's toeing the line of what the Republicans are trying to put out there: The economy's great, everything's great, nothing to see here," she stated. "He's just holding the party line that way."