Congressional Democrats are suffering increasing criticism for keeping their district and state offices closed to constituents because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Democrats’ election rivals say taxpayers miss out on services and access to their representatives because of long-lasting coronavirus-related office closures, even though pandemic fears have largely subsided after more than two years.
“When you poll the public, a large majority have a negative view of Congress or say the institution isn’t responsive,” said Matthew Foldi, a Republican candidate in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District. “Voters literally expect so little from their members of Congress, and now some have taken that to the extreme by being unwilling to open their offices to constituents.”
Republican House and Senate candidates say the issue exemplifies the “do-nothing nature” of Congress under Democratic control. Instead of focusing on kitchen table issues such as high inflation, they say, Democrats are playing partisan politics.
“Normally, you would get fired from a job if you didn’t show up for work,” said Catalina Lauf, a Republican challenging Democratic Rep. Bill Foster in Illinois. “What would happen if there was a real issue that the constituent needed to be solved and their office is closed for God knows how long?”
Ms. Lauf recently livestreamed herself outside one of Mr. Foster’s closed district offices. Republican candidates are increasingly using the campaign tactic.
Adam Laxalt, a Republican Senate candidate in Nevada, is highlighting the impact that office closures have had on constituents. Mr. Laxalt’s campaign launched a website slamming his opponent, Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, for being physically absent.
The site says Ms. Cortez Masto is still allowing most of her staff to work from home to the detriment of Nevada families.
“While Nevada families struggle to fill their gas tanks and buy basic goods at the grocery store, our no-show senator offers them nothing but empty promises and no results,” Mr. Laxalt said.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the governmental and private sectors have increasingly used teleworking. The initial transition was to limit the spread of the coronavirus, but telework has remained in place as vaccination rates increase and COVID-19 cases decrease.
Last week, Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee voted to advance legislation to expand and protect teleworking within the federal government. The bill, which Republicans oppose, requires federal agencies to give Congress and the White House at least a month’s notice if they choose to restrict telework.
“Telework saves money, helps recruit top talent, makes environmental sense, and it ensures a continuity of operations at agencies that families, businesses and veterans can rely on each day,” said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, a Virginia Democrat who championed the measure.
Opponents point out that teleworking has caused massive backlogs within the federal government. Nowhere has it been more apparent than at the Internal Revenue Service, where reliance on teleworking has been blamed for slowing down the processing of mailed-in tax returns.
At the congressional level, Republicans say, the negative effects of office closures have fallen disproportionately on the elderly and those living in rural areas.
Mr. Foldi, a former journalist, has put the issue at the center of his campaign against Rep. David Trone, Maryland Democrat, who owns the popular alcohol retail chain Total Wine & More. Traveling throughout the district, which spans from the Washington suburbs to Maryland’s western border with West Virginia, Mr. Foldi has recorded himself in front of Mr. Trone’s shuttered district offices.
Last month, Mr. Foldi staged a protest outside Mr. Trone’s district office in Frederick, Maryland. Mr. Trone’s staff was fully informed, but the office was shuttered when Mr. Foldi and his supporters arrived.
“Some of his offices have been closed for nearly 2½ years,” said Mr. Foldi. “We gave them advanced notice of this event, and they still couldn’t find anyone to be there.”
Mr. Trone’s staff disputes as “misinformation” that his offices are closed to the public.
“Congressman David Trone’s offices are and have been open and fully staffed, as have our phone lines,” the congressman’s staff said in a statement.
Mr. Foldi says voters just have to show up and see for themselves that isn’t the case.
“If you show up to his office, as I have done, you’ll see they’re closed,” he said. “The irony is that David Trone’s business, Total Wine & More, is open seven days a week in some places, but his congressional office is not.”
Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled the name of Frederick, Maryland.
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