As Congress comes home for their first “District work period” of the new Trump administration, most Republican representatives are nowhere to be seen. Many representatives are refusing to meet with their constituents after their colleagues around the nation have been grilled during their town hall meetings. Angry protesters demand that their representatives explain why they are continuing to support Trump, who most of the town hall attendees view as unfit to serve as President. Among the list of missing members is our own representative: Rodney Frelinghuysen.

Mr. Frelinghuysen has served our district, the 11th district of New Jersey, since 1995 and Wayne since 2010, after redistricting. Our district has largely been dominated by Republicans, but after the Trump administration’s extremely controversial first month, Republicans across the country are facing pushback, including Frelinghuysen. Protesters have lined the street outside Frelinghuysen’s office for the past week, demanding answers on critical questions that many Republicans do not have the answers for. Among the most important seem to be healthcare, Russia’s influence on the election, and Trump’s anti-environment policies.

Two progressive groups formed after the election, NJ11forchange and Indivisible NJ 11, have spearheaded the calls for a town hall. Together, they organized 4 town halls in each of the counties Mr. Frelinghuysen represents. However, he did not attend any of them. Frelinghuysen opted instead for a “tele town hall”, in which listeners can tune in over the phone to listen, instead of talk face to face. Critics argue that many of the questions were selectively picked beforehand, and that he is too cowardly to actually talk to his constituents in person.