Dear editor:
It is laughable to be scolded about rude behavior by supporters of Donald Trump, the king of crude behavior and name-calling. But let’s consider the substance of Representative Hageman’s recent town halls:
“It’s so bizarre to me how obsessed you are with the federal government”, she complained in Laramie. Maybe it’s because Wyoming’s 8,000 federal employees are our friends, neighbors, and customers and we share their concern about their careers and families.
Maybe it’s because the $4 billion (2022) Washington adds to Wyoming programs represents valuable services upon which we all depend.
We’re assured that Social Security won’t be touched and veterans will be cared for, but there will be thousands of layoffs and dozens of office closures. How does that work? And now Cowboy State Daily (3/22/25) reports that NOAA cuts may jeopardize Wyoming weather data.
“Why would you be opposed to us looking on a line-by-line basis for every agency?”, she asked in Laramie, with feigned innocence. “We’re not”, obviously. But her question is sheer fantasy.
There is nothing remotely “line-by-line” about the mass firings of federal employees, the elimination of oversight programs, or the refusal to spend Congress-authorized funds (i.e. funds authorized by Hageman and her colleagues, who apparently are incapable of restraining themselves).
From her Afton event, CSD (3/13/25) reported, “The most animated debate was sparked when Hageman began outlining the efforts of the Department of Governmental Efficiency, which she said has so far saved taxpayers $105 billion.” No surprise there.
Musk’s lame attempts at accountability are debunked as fast as he sends them out. $3 “billion” turns out to be $3 “million”; “cancelled” contracts turn out to be non-existent or previously expired; “massive fraud” turns out to be junior Muskrats’ coding errors.
Similarly, Hageman “lamented” U.S. dollars being spent on supposedly frivolous projects under USAID, without mentioning that the cherry-picked items were a tiny fraction of the USAID budget and that wholesale cuts have led to starvation, enhanced the spread of deadly diseases, and reduced support for US crops. (“Yeah, we kind of blew it with Ebola; but we fixed that”, said Musk, with a laugh).
From her town hall in Rock Springs, CSD (3/17/25) reported, “Hageman said this isn't true [the cutting of VA], however, and her office hasn't evaluated how those cuts would affect Wyoming.”
Hageman could actually be of service to her constituents by digging in and providing truthful information on what’s going on. How many Wyoming employees have been fired? How WILL “those cuts affect Wyoming”? What programs are being cancelled? Show us those “line-by-line” evaluations of Wyoming funds. Isn’t that her job?
Hageman’s office costs us upwards of $2 million a year. She’d get a lot less flack at town meetings if she would spend some of that money dispelling - rather than contributing to - the fog of misinformation, disinformation, and lies which we all find so frustrating and alarming.
Sincerely,
Bern Hinckley, Laramie
