Constituents are flooding New York federal lawmakers' phone lines. Here are the problems they're encountering.
LONG ISLAND -- Callers have been swamping Capitol Hill in record numbers, voicing concerns over cuts to federal programs and other Trump administration actions.
Many have experienced busy signals and calls going to voicemail, leaving them wondering if that is hampering constituent services.
Members of House, Senate report big increase in calls
House members are reporting sharp upticks in constituent calls.
Congressman Tom Suozzi said calls to his office in recent weeks jumped 10-fold, from 25 per day to more than 250, adding the public's voice is being heard.
"We keep track of the calls. I know exactly how many calls come in. It's reported to me every day," Suozzi said. "I know the issues they are concerned about. The number one issue they are contending about right now is Elon Musk. Number two is the funding freeze."
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Similar calls to action have flooded Senate phone lines with 1,600 calls per minute, according to senators who say the norm is just 40.
As for whether the barrage of calls is slowing down constituent services, insiders say there are typically different staffers who handle those calls and that every voicemail is listened to.
New York's senators and other members of Congress said that flood is not impacting case work. If you need immediate attention you can always call a district office, which will avoid the Capitol switchboard.
A spokesperson for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement:
"Our offices have received an uptick in calls from concerned New Yorkers across the state. The senator remains fiercely committed to fighting for her constituents in the halls of Congress and has been sounding the alarm on the harmful ramifications of President Trump's efforts to close the Department of Education, freeze federal funding, and halt aid to critical programs like Head Start. New Yorkers who have been directly impacted by the recent actions of the Trump administration are encouraged to contact the senator's office for help by visiting https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/help/help-for-new-yorkers/ or by emailing casework@gillibrand.senate.gov."
Watchdog groups encouraged by public's enthusiasm
The calls are an effective and essential form of public engagement, said Susan Lerner, executive director of the nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause.
"People are responding to some pretty shocking activities at the federal level. People do not want to see their federal government taken over by a billionaire that nobody elected. So they want their elected officials to do their job, which is to assert our constitutional system of checks and balances," Lerner said.
A separate call is needed for each issue if you want your call to be logged "for" or "against," said Leah Greenberg of Indivisible.
"Every so often we see a large wave of phone calls and that reflects a very large degree of alarm around the country as we are seeing right now," Greenberg said.
Republicans are also phoning in to support Mr. Trump's Cabinet picks.
"We need everyone to call and make sure our voices are heard. They know there is a mandate, and if you think you're going to be a holdout, it's not going to go well for you," said Christi Kunzig of the Nassau County Young Republicans.
Rachel Klein of the group Engage Long Island said she calls her member of Congress and urges others to so daily.
"We want you to call every day. Regardless of if it's a Democrat or Republican, these are American issues that effect all of us," Klein said.
