HAYMARKET, Va. — Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) faced dozens of questions about the future of social safety net programs and job security at a Thursday town hall where concerns over DOGE took center stage.
The first-term lawmaker made a pitch for a Democratic response to the hugely controversial DOGE initiative led by mega-billionaire Elon Musk. This includes pursuing litigation and introducing legislation to protect federal programs, as well as stepping up Democratic messaging.
Roughly 800 constituents signed up to attend a packed auditorium at a local high school in Prince William County. Subramanyam represents Washington exurbs in Virginia’s 10th District, which is home to thousands of federal workers responding to an unprecedented wave of mass layoffs
“People need a place to go,” Subramanyam told us. “People need a place to share their stories… you can see the look in their eyes. You can see the hurt on their faces.”
The Virginia Democrat, who succeeded former Rep. Jennifer Wexton, began his town hall by asking how many in the room were federal workers or married to one. More than half the room raised their hands.
Subramanyam went after what he said is a “cruelty” in the current political climate and told constituents who supported President Donald Trump that they were lied to about lowering the cost of living and other promises.
“We have to do everything right now at our disposal and at our toolbox to fight back what’s going on,” Subramanyam said.
Democrats have sought to capitalize on footage of angry constituents showing up at GOP lawmakers’ town hall events to raise concerns about DOGE and federal cuts.
House Majority PAC, the Democratic-leadership linked super PAC, circulated a list of more than 50 town hall protests at Republican offices across the country this week.
At one point, Subramanyam jokingly asked constituents if anyone was paid to come. This was after Republicans accused Democrats of staging protests at GOP town halls.
Other topics Subramanyam was asked about included the future of Medicaid and veterans’ care.
One constituent complained about the lack of Democratic exposure in media and on news channels, saying that Trump is dominating the airwaves. Democratic leadership have sought to make diversifying the party’s media presence a priority in an attempt to better reach voters.
Subramanyam said he’s working on growing a bigger audience through TikTok, Instagram and other social media channels to match Trump and Republicans’ media reach.
“If we’re going to be at a disadvantage when it comes to the funding that Trump and his allies have to run commercials, we have to be able to push back and find every place to be,” he said.
Subramanyam also shared his town hall virtually and said he’s specifically trying to reach constituents who aren’t tuning into traditional news outlets.
