Rep. McClain Delaney Holds Telephone Town Hall

Her office says more than 6,000 residents participated.Rep April McClain DelaneyWashington DC (KM) Questions about the actions of the Trump Administration were part of a telephone town hall put on Tuesday night by 6th District Representative April McClain Delaney. Over past few weeks, the Congresswoman’s Office says it has answered thousand of phone calls and e-mails  focused on Elon Musk’s access to personal  financial data, the Trump Administration’s directive to freeze federal spending and a letter to over two-million federal workers offering a buy out if they resign from government services.One question came from Craig who said President Trump is not following the US Constitution, and Congress isn’t doing much about it. But he  noted that the courts have often delayed or blocked a lot of the Administration’s actions. “The Judicial Branch is helping out. But he won’t follow their rulings, that would not be sunrising he’s not following the law now. But if he doesn’t follow the judicial rulings, what happens next,” he asked, referring to President Trump in his question.”We all have a concerted effort,” McClain Delaney responded.  “Those of use who are in the minority, but  also reaching across the aisle to our Republican colleagues, and insisting that this administration does step up and comply.” McClain Delaney is a Democrat.  The US House and Senate are majority Republican.The Congresswoman also fielded  a question about  the deferred resignation offer. The Trump Administration offered federal employees the opportunity to resign, and receive their salaries and benefits through September 30th, which is the end of the federal government’s fiscal year. Adam from Gaithersburg asked about that. “It sounds like a good option, but I want to know is it really legal,”: he asked. “And if it isn’t legitimate, what’s to prevent the Administration from wanting to accept it from pulling the plug, and refusing to honor, following through on the pay, the benefits, etc, that they’re promising through September 30th of this year?”Representative McClain Delaney said this program has not been authorized by Congress. “We don’t even have that funding going through Congress yet, and a budget deal. So it’s really difficult to even say what will go on beyond March. So that money has not yet been appropriated, and, yes, Congress has the power of the purse,” she said.,March 14th is when the continuing resolution to fund the federal government runs out.Congresswoman McClain Delaney has urged federal workers not to take this deferred resignation offer.The security of the federal government’s information was also brought up. Representative McClain Delaney heard from Scott Paris, who worked for 35 years for the US Department of Labor. “Seeing that my Republican friends went so crazy over Hillary Clinton’s e-mails on a non-government server. My question is: whether Elon Musk is using a government server or not? And if not, what can you do to make him use one,” Paris asked.McClain Delaney said this questions gets to into the security of sensitive information held by the federal government, and who has access to it. “It is something that we have to highlight and we have to push back both from the courts, but as we look ahead how any of this type of information is handled, and who owns and how it is protected,” she said.She also commented that unlimited access by the Department of Government Efficiency to this sensitive information is “the largest data breach in US history, and a violation of personal information.”There are more than 35,000 federal government workers who live in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District which extends from a part of northern Montgomery County, and includes Frederick, Washington, Allegany and Garrett Counties.By Kevin McManus