Fairbanks residents gathered Monday to pepper Alaska's junior U.S. senator with questions about the Trump administration's actions — although he was absent.
There was an overflow crowd at the Noel Wien Public Library’s auditorium Monday night, as about 175 people tried to squeeze in. A life-size portrait of U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan was printed on cardboard and set up in the center of the room, which acted as a stand-in for him.
Constituents lined up at two microphones to address their grievances.
“Today the Republican administration crossed yet another line, a particularly terrifying one. They have now openly defied a legal ruling by the courts. This was in regard to deportations, and I want to know, Senator Sullivan, what are you going to do?” asked Sarah Garland.
This week, U.S. senators and representatives return to their home districts during the Congressional spring break, with many holding constituent meetings. Kelly Barker described the ad-hoc organizing of this one.
“One person said we should do a town hall since Republicans are being told not to hold them, and we should hold one and let's invite Senator Sullivan,” Barker said.
A spokesperson for Sullivan said Monday that congressional offices have been flooded with calls and email messages asking about the many changes to federal jobs and spending made by the Trump administration — so much that it is hard to keep up.
Barker said the Fairbanks group made calls to set up the constituent meeting, and it took more than a week to get a response.
“And every effort was made through every avenue to extend the invitation… multiple times a day, calling every office number that we could find for him," she said. "And then one day at 'Pack the Offices,' which happens every Monday at the federal building, someone put a flyer for this town hall event in Sullivan's door slot, and, someone got a call after that."
“And (Sullivan's office) said, ‘Well, he won't be there,’” Barker said. “And the response was, ‘Well, we're gonna hold it anyway.’”
The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, told GOP lawmakers two weeks ago to stop having town hall meetings. He said many were leading to public confrontations with angry constituents, and could hurt them politically in the midterm elections.
Barker said she understands representatives are overwhelmed with constituent questions about the impacts of presidential executive orders and funding cuts from the Trump administration.
“We also do realize that, you know, his schedule's really packed and that this did happen at short notice. So, I want to give that caveat there," Barker said. "At the same time, these are really tense times and you're our senator and we feel like you should meet with us.”
Republican leaders say many of these “empty chair” town halls across the country are set up just for social media fodder. But constituents at Monday’s town hall say they had already tried to reach Sullivan through his office.
“Senator Sullivan. Hi, this is Shelby again,” one woman said. “You should probably know my address by now; I leave you voicemails every single day. As a Yup’ik woman and a 100% disabled veteran with countless combat flying hours, I think I've earned at least one answer. One response.”
Another constituent, Sarah Furman, addressed pointed concerns to the cardboard photo about Trump's cuts to social services.
“I have a few questions… how you're going to protect the people of Alaska from the gutting of Social Security and Medicaid?” Furman asked. “Where do you suggest the people of Fairbanks go for hospital services, if the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital has to close its doors without these payments?”
Many comments were about how Alaska would be affected by Canadian tolls and tariffs, deportation of legal immigrants and natural-born citizens, the chaos of not being able to prepare for a construction season and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Foreign policy was on North Pole resident Arianne Glover's mind when she spoke Monday.
“I was selected to attend the model Arctic Council, with members in Russia in the spring of 2022, prior Russia's invasion of Ukraine,” Glover said. “And with this background, I would think that as a former Marine, you did not serve our country in the military for 30 years to see a sitting U.S. president stand side by side with a Russian autocrat, dictator, and oligarch with fascist tendencies.”
Similar town-hall meetings were planned by various groups Wednesday in Anchorage Wednesday and Thursday in Juneau.
Sullivan will be addressing the Alaska Legislature in Juneau on Thursday morning. His address follows a fiery speech by fellow Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who told state lawmakers Tuesday that Trump is "testing" the institutions of democracy.
Sullivan will return to Fairbanks Friday, where he will be the keynote speaker at the annual Republican women’s dinner.
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