March 4, 2025: Fifth District Congressman John McGuire expresses trust and support in Elon Musk and President Trump in first telephone town hall
Plus: A Charlottesville Area Transit bus drove into a single-family house during morning rush hour
March Fourth! Today is perhaps the only day on the calendar that when read out loud offers up a command. Charlottesville Community Engagement is not a publication that seeks to tell anyone what to do, and this sentence offers the chance to up another disclaimer. However, the idea is to arm people with information to navigate a world that seems to change depending on who holds the kaleidoscope. I’m Sean Tubbs, and you’ll get no spinning from me.
In today’s installment:
A Charlottesville Area Transit bus runs into a house in Albemarle County
There are a few more days left to weigh in on a survey on what temporary reconfiguration should be made at the intersection of East High and Meade in Charlottesville
As the Trump administration continues to fire as many federal workers as it can without oversight, the Youngkin administration is offering resources to help people find jobs
An account of the February 26, 2025 Congressional Town Hall hosted by Fifth District Congressman John McGuire
First-shout: WTJU Puzzle Hunt returns on march March 15
In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out: Cville Puzzle Hunt is back! Organized by WTJU 91.1 FM and designed by Puzzled Bee, the event is a citywide cerebral puzzle for teens and adults of all ages. The Cville Puzzle Hunt It works like an escape room, but all of downtown Charlottesville is the "room."
This year’s event takes place Saturday, March 15, 2:30 - 6 p.m. The Puzzle Hunt starts and ends at IX Art Park, with puzzles to solve at various downtown locations. Those participating will have a wild afternoon running around trying to untangle five diabolical, large-scale puzzles inserted into the urban landscape.
Advance registration is requested at CvillePuzzleHunt.com. The event is free and a $5 a person donation is suggested.
Charlottesville Area Transit bus slams into single-family home in Albemarle County
Several photographs appeared on social media outlets this morning of a Charlottesville Area Transit bus that ran straight into a single family home.
The transit agency sent out a notice at 10:55 a.m. that acknowledged a vehicle was “involved in an incident near the 2500 block of Barracks Road.” This took place just after 8:30 a.m.
“According to reports from the Albemarle County Police Department (ACPD) and Albemarle County Fire Rescue (ACFR), the bus struck three vehicles before crashing into a single-family residence,” reads the message.
Transit officials are cooperating with local authorities as an investigation continues.
The language in the CAT message mirrors that sent out by Albemarle County’s public information officer in response to a query.
“The home owner and the bus driver were both transported to UVA with non-life-threatening injuries,” said Logan Bogert in a message sent out at 9:45 a.m.
There are a lot of questions. What do you want to know?
Four days left to respond to survey on temporary changes to East High / Meade Avenue intersection
As part of the local implementation of the federal Safe Streets 4 All initiative, the City of Charlottesville and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission are planning on trying out a new orientation for a key intersection in the central-east portion of the city.
“This is a temporary improvement that we are looking to make,” said Ben Chambers, the city’s transportation planning manager. “This is a safety problem that we’ve all known has been an issue but have all been curious about how to solve it and we want to test some different options of what we can do before we have to go with a more expensive kind of project.”
There are three proposals:
Option 1 would eliminate the traffic signal at Meade Avenue and East High Street in favor and add another one at Meade Avenue at Stewart Street. Meade Avenue would be converted to one way traffic allowing vehicles to travel south for one block to a new four-way stop. A lane on Meade would be converted to a protected bike lane.
Option 2 would see the same shift of traffic signals, but would keep Meade Avenue open to two-way traffic. The left-hand turn from East High Street to Meade Avenue would be eliminated. There would be no all-way stop at Stewart and Meade.
Option 3 would also see the same shift of traffic signals, but Meade Avenue would be northbound only. There would be an all-way stop at Stewart and Meade.
A public meeting was held on February 25 at Burnley-Moran Elementary School for people to see the possibilities.
“The room was full and there was a lot of chatter,” said City Councilor Natalie Oschrin. “I think it helps for people to have someone to talk to.”
An online survey runs through March 7.
Oschrin noted a similarity between all three options.
“What all three of them did and what I really appreciated was at the top of Meade where it meets East High there is a big bump-out to decrease the space that a pedestrian would need to cross to walk there,” Oschrin said.
Chambers said Council will make a choice on which way to proceed in April and the temporary installation will be placed in the summer.
Virginia helping prepare federal workers for their job losses
As the federal government is dismantled by an executive branch that insists they have the sole authority to do so, the Commonwealth of Virginia is offering ways for laid-off, fired, and displaced workers to continue on with their lives.
Last week, Governor Youngkin announced a Federal Worker Support Resource Package to assist people who will most likely lose their jobs if courts rule in favor of President Trump on issues such as impoundment.
This includes a central portal for all resources available which is available here.
This is in addition to the creation of a portal called VirginiaHasJobs.com. There is a virtual job fair on March 5 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
There is a section on the page that offers resources for impacted federal workers. The website tells would-be employees to forget the way they worked in the recent past.
“If you are a former Federal employee looking to transition to the private sector, you may want to consider updating your resume to translate your detailed government job duties and accomplishments into industry terminology, avoiding overly technical jargon or acronyms, action-oriented statements that highlight relevant skills and achievements, using common industry terminology, and generally shortening the length to fit a standard 1-2 page resume format while still emphasizing key qualifications for the desired civilian role,” reads the website.
Federal employees are also told to remove references to federal classification and told how to translate their previous experiences.
A group called Enroll Virginia is part of the package and is offering to assist with securing new health coverage. One option is through Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace which allows new enrollments if someone is fired or laid off from their job.
“We encourage people to reach out as soon as they know they will need to change their health insurance,” said Deepak Madala, Enroll Virginia’s executive director. “Because the enrollment period is limited to 60 days, that’s the best way to make sure you don’t experience any gaps in your health coverage. Navigators are here to provide step-by-step guidance to make sure you can find the best coverage for you and have uninterrupted access to the health care you need.”
Tonight President Trump will appear before Congress for the first time of this presidency and the first since his second impeachment for citing insurrection on January 6, 2021. The Senate acquitted Trump on a single charge in February 2021.
Senator Tim Kaine has invited Jason King to attend the speech. King is a disabled veteran who was recently fired from a position at the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Veterans make up 30 percent of the federal workforce, and I remain committed to supporting them and their families,” Kaine wrote in a press release sent out this morning. “That’s why Senator Blumenthal (D-CT) and I demanded the Trump Administration immediately reinstate the estimated 6,000 veterans who were fired during the mass terminations of federal employees and demanded veterans receive their full benefits and back pay.
It is unclear what response, if any, the Trump administration had.
The Youngkin administration does acknowledge that many veterans are now out of work.
“If you are a Virginian with a disability, the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) can connect you to meaningful careers and job training programs in high-demand, high-growth industries,” reads a special page set up for veterans.
Second-shout out: Charlottesville Jazz Society presents the Max Johnson Trio
On Friday March 21, the Max Johnson Trio will be performing in The Front Porch space at 221 Water St E Charlottesville, 8-10pm. Described as “an intrepid composer, architect of sound and beast of the bass…” (NYC Jazz Record) composer, bassist, and improviser Max Johnson is one of the most prolific music makers in the jazz, bluegrass, improvised music, and contemporary classical worlds.
Johnson has released nearly 20 albums and performed over three thousand concerts internationally, and can be heard in Spike Lee’s Academy Award winning film, “The BlacKkKlansman”. For this concert, Max Johnson presents his incredible trio with rising star Neta Raanan on tenor saxophone and Connor Parks on drumset, celebrating the trio’s 2024 album, “I’ll see you again.” . This trio explores Johnson’s more traditional jazz compositions inspired by innovators Charles Mingus, Mal Waldron, and Thelonious Monk. [tickets]
Congressman McGuire explains support for Trump and Elon Musk in telephone town hall
Republicans currently control all three branches of the federal government after the 2024 election.
President Donald Trump carried 31 states, won 312 electoral votes, and carried the popular vote by about 2.3 million votes.
Republican presidents have filled six out of nine positions on the United States Supreme Court.
Republicans hold 53 seats in the United States Senate compared to 45 Democrats and two independents. Republicans have 218 seats in the House of Representatives compared to the 215 held by Democrats. There are currently two vacancies, both in Florida. Special elections will be held on April 1.
The next elections for the House of Representatives will be held on November 3, 2026.
There is no Constitutional requirement that Representatives meet with constituents to explain their positions. This week, the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee is reported by Politico to have ordered his colleagues not to hold any more town halls.
On February 26, 2025, newly elected Representative John McGuire held a telephone town hall which lasted for about 45 minutes. McGuire ran a primary challenge against former Congressman Bob Good because Good had initially supported a different candidate than Donald Trump in the 2024 election. McGuire defeated Democrat Gloria Tinsley Witt in the general election 249,564 votes to 184,229 votes.
In the first minute of the event, McGuire introduced a poll question.
“Before we start, I have a poll question for everyone tonight,” McGuire said. “Do you think the government should cut, waste, fraud and abuse? Press one for yes. Press two for no, press three for unsure. And if you have any questions or want to join the conversation, please press star three.”
Definitions were not provided, and McGuire went on to give his background and to state he has already co-sponsored 36 bills and has introduced two of them. He’s also on the House Armed Services Committee and the Oversight Committee.
“I am also a member of the Republican Study Committee, which is considered the conservative conscience of the Republican Conference,” McGuire said.
One of the bills McGuire has introduced is what he called the Uranium for Efficiency Independent Act which is in the House of Representatives system as HR1622. Details are not yet available online, but the Congressman explained that the bill would list uranium on the United States Geological Surveys critical mineral lists.
“Inclusion on the list would open up federal funds and fast track permitting for domestic uranium projects,” McGuire said. “As a matter of national security, we should not be reliant on foreign adversaries for our critical mineral needs. Uranium plays a vital role in our nation's nuclear capabilities and nuclear energy, but it is not currently designated as a critical mineral.”
Two days after the town hall, McGuire released a statement that argued the bill would not overturn a moratorium imposed on uranium mining by the Commonwealth of Virginia. There is a large uranium deposit within the Fifth District in Pittsylvania County, according to the Virginia Department of Energy.
McGuire said his office has been busy with requests from constituents.
“These cases range from passport renewals to expedited requests to the [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms] for suppressors and special order firearms, to secured Medicare coverage and benefits for constituents,” McGuire said.
McGuire said he is a member of the caucus associated with the Department of Governmental Efficiency which is ordering the firing of federal workers across the board.
“As a member of the DOGE Caucus, we've already uncovered a surprising amount of waste, fraud and abuse,” McGuire said. “My colleagues and I are excited to have a unified Republican government in Washington. We have our work cut out for us to make America great again.”
Questions and answers
The first question came from a man from Albemarle County who identified himself as Joe.
“My question, sir, is I have good friends that I go to church with who are foster parents and they have a lovely family and they're very concerned about these cuts to Medicaid. Do you know if that will affect foster children, people that are brought up in the foster system?” Joe said.
McGuire said there was no mention of Medicaid in the version of the budget resolution that the House of Representatives passed on February 25 on a 217 to 215 vote. You can check the text of the resolution here. McGuire added the House version has to be reconciled with the Senate version.
The next question came from a retiree who did not give a name.
“I depend on Social Security and Medicare for my income and my health care,” said the caller. “I got surgery coming up next month. I hear a lot of talk about cuts to Medicare and Social Security. And our family also has a disabled son who can't work, who's dependent on Medicaid, SSI and SNAP for his basic needs. And so, you know, I paid payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare specifically for about 50 years. And you know, that's money that I've paid, hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
McGuire responded by saying that the administration and the Republican majority do not believe that Americans have trust and confidence in their government.
“I will tell you, I don't think it's a secret that we spend more money per day than we bring in per day. And, you know, if you did that with your household, you would be out of a house, on the street. If you did that in a business, you would be out of a business. But again, I know that President Trump talked about no tax on tips. There's certainly no, no tax or cuts on Medicare.
The third question related to another bill McGuire has introduced to increase the allowable weight for some agricultural vehicles on interstate highways. The text of HR1487 is not yet available for review.
The fourth question came from a woman who said her father fought in the Second World War and her husband was in the Air Force during the Korean War.
“My concern is that there is an increasing number of veterans who are homeless, who are committing suicide and who are impoverished,” said Sandra from Albemarle. “They and their families are suffering. And when I see that the [Department of Defense] is going to be gutted, and I see that a department, really, that was not authorized by Congress,” McGuire said.
McGuire said Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Governmental Efficiency are not themselves taking any specific actions.
“They are only identifying waste, fraud and abuse, but they're not firing anyone,” McGuire said. “They are just making recommendations to different departments. But we are spending an incredible amount of money. We're not efficient. All Americans cannot stand being robbed by the waste, fraud and abuse are going on.”
A quick search on “news.google.com” on DOGE firings reveals the following stories.
DOGE continues to hollow federal workforce after already firing more than 30,000, PBS News Hour, February 28, 2025
Science agency reinstates some fired employees, includes people with disabilities, veterans, military spouses, USA Today, March 3, 2025
Democrats seek to probe Musk conflicts and DOGE firings with resolutions of inquiry in the House, Associated Press, March 4, 2025
Democrats to Focus on DOGE Firings at Trump Address as Voters Split on Cuts, Newsweek, March 4, 2025
I was fired by DOGE, but I am not a victim, Jonathan Kamens, The Hill (opinion), March 4, 2025
Fired NOAA workers say cuts could hinder weather forecasts and programs to keep people safe, NBC News, March 4, 2025
The Town Hall continued. The sixth question related to a specific tax provision that McGuire said he would have to do more research on. The seventh came from Tom in Amherst who is proud McGuire won election.
“I'm glad President Trump won his election and I know that you two working together can get this country turned around,” Tom said. “I don't think the President's got any intention of doing away with programmes that are specifically needed by the farmers and that type of personnel that need depend on their occupations to get this country back on track.”
A quick look at news.google.com reveals several accounts of employees of the United States Department of Agriculture losing their jobs.
Job cuts at USDA in Boston could weaken New England food security, GBH, February 26,2025
As Trump administration cuts funding, lays off USDA staff, Colorado farmers and ranchers feel the hit, CPR News, February 26, 2025
USDA workers among thousands fired as Trump administration continues to shrink the federal government, Spectrum News 1, February 28, 2025
Mass layoffs at USDA leave an uncertain future for researchers and rural areas, Nebraska Public Media, March 3, 3025
New Hampshire farmers join Shaheen for roundtable about USDA federal funding cuts, Manchester Ink Link, March 3, 2025
McGuire did not acknowledge the comment but acknowledged not everyone on the call was one of his supporters.
“I am honored to represent everyone in the fifth Congressional District,” McGuire said. “And I gotta tell you, if you voted for me, I love you. If you did not vote for me. I love you. If you disagree with my position on a policy, I still love you. I'm here to try to listen to people, be respectful, bring them together.”
He then repeated the instructions for the poll.
The next caller from Bedford County most likely pressed one.
“I want to let you know that I am for finding fraud and waste, but I'm concerned, why are so many people getting laid off and fired?” said a woman named Cindy. “Isn't there a different way of handling things?”
McGuire responded that everyone gets fired at some point in their lives but he said there are bigger threats to the country. He said the national debt is too high and cuts have to be made.
“Almost every nation that went under was because of bankruptcy,” McGuire said.
The next caller from Albemarle County identified as a person who has worked for the Department of Defense for 12 years and pressed for more information about who gets to decide what gets cut. McGuire responded by saying his faith is in Elon Musk.
“[The Department of Government Efficiency] and Elon Musk, they are some very bright minds. It's amazing. Look at the spreadsheets and the data that they're able to go through with 3D simulations. They are definitely identifying some waste, fraud and abuse.
The website for the Department of Governmental Efficiency is an official website of the United States Government that has the slogan “the people vote major reform.” The “about” section points to a White House executive order that turned the United States Digital Service into the Department of Governmental Efficiency.
The next caller from Nelson County wanted to know more about Musk’s role in all of this. She listed a number of cuts that have been made by the executive branch without consultation of the legislative branch.
“Cuts to the [Veteran’s Administration], [National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration] [Federal Emergency Management Agency], [Transportation Secutity Administration], Medicare, all those things have been cut,” said Amy. “And I'm trying to figure out how it is that a person that is not elected, I'm talking about Elon Musk and has not been vetted and is not a government employee and should not have access to sensitive data, is in charge of this effort.”
McGuire claimed that Trump is not doing anything different than any other president and that all administrations have the opportunity to pick who advises them.
“I will tell you that, you know, there's a lot of misinformation out there, but Elon Musk has top secret clearance and then clearances you might have never heard of,” Musk said. “ As far as security, you know, he is. He's definitely got the security to do that. And again, his team is identifying the waste, fraud and abuse, but they're not acting on it, they're just reporting it to the different committees and then the committees decide what to do. He just gives his recommendations.”
The word “recommendation” does not appear in the White House executive order.
McGuire did not elaborate on what committees were involved. There is no official Department of Governmental Efficiency Committee in Congress, but an ad hoc caucus with hundreds of members.
The next question dealt with illegal immigration. The one after that had a follow-up question about the budget resolution. The caller reminded McGuire that he had said there was no mention of Medicare or Medicaid.
“I think that's a little misleading because it does cut about 880 billion from the House of Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees healthcare spending and programmes like Medicaid,” said a woman who identified as Allison.
Allison pointed out that the budget increases spending over the next years and doesn’t include enough spending cuts. She asked for an inventory of specific examples of waste, fraud, and abuse.
“Where are the arrests?” she asked. “Where is the accountability? Who are the people who are allowing all of this fraud and waste to happen? Why aren't they being held accountable? And why are the only people that I see being affected are people who are losing their jobs?”
McGuire called the budget a “very complicated business” and that the House and Senate will identify more spending cuts in the conference committee. He said he supports the federal tax cuts that Trump wants to make permanent.
“You said you haven't heard anything about people being held accountable,” McGuire said. “Hey, Listen, I'm all about that, but we're getting there. We're not there yet. But again, thank you so much for the question”
The next question sought more details on potential cuts to Medicaid, details that weren’t provided on the call. After that was a question from someone who wanted to know what McGuire’s day to day life was like.
After that, Martha from Charlottesville wanted a specific example of waste, fraud, and abuse. McGuire responded by saying that he’s been given evidence of experimentation on cats and dogs.
“We may disagree on policies and ideologies, and I still love you anyway, but, you know, trying to do sex changes on animals, dogs and cats, makes no sense to me,” McGuire said. “There's no way anybody's going to explain to me, that's okay. And we uncovered evidence of cat cannibalism. And when they brought that up, I was like, they gotta be making this up. And what they do is they put cats in a room and they study how long it takes before they start eating each other.”
Specifics were not provided but concept appears to be traced to federal research into toxoplasmosis, as reported by NBC News in 2019. The story was brought to their attention by a nonprofit group associated with the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
The final question came from Bill from Nelson County. He noted that McGuire celebrates the legacy of President Ronald Reagan, but reminded the Congressman of one of Reagan’s catch-phrases.
“Ronald Reagan said trust everybody and cut the deck,” said Bill. “Trust but verify. Now, you gave a couple of examples of waste, fraud and abuse. And I think every time that [the Department of Government Efficiency] points out our fines as weight fraud and abuse that it should be published.
Unfortunately, as you know, on their website, they claimed that they had hundreds of billions of dollars of waste, only to have it taken down because it turned out not to be true when the Wall Street Journal actually looked at it.”
McGuire repeated that he is on the Department of Governmental Efficency Caucus and claimed there is full transparency.
“They're not firing anyone,” McGuire said. “They're making recommendations, and their pace is quick. And I've asked for more information on their decisions.”
McGuire said Republican control of all three branches of government will restore trust. He said President Trump has a mandate and urged people to trust him.
The results of the poll were never revealed.
McGuire urged people to sign up for his newsletter, which can be done at his website.
The above will be available in podcast form sometime before the end of the week.
Reading material for #824
Albemarle County Chairman Jim Andrews won't seek reelection, Dmitry Martirosov, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), March 1, 2025
UVA Student Contracts Meningococcal Disease, Dori Zook, Cville Right Now, March 3, 2025
Charlottesville Del. Katrina Callsen awaits action on bipartisan bills, Lexie Stadler, Cavalier Daily, March 3, 2025
Charlottesville unveils Court Square historical marker, Meghin Moore, VPM News, March 4, 2025
The winnowing and narrowing of #824 into the thin line of the horizon
If I could freeze time right now, I would spend a lot of time reading up on 17th century political philosophy. I’d like to refresh what I used to know about Hobbes and Locke and thoughts on how a society should best be organized. Most of that stuff is outside of my brain, but it would seem important to be reminded of why this country has a federal structure and separation of powers.
I’d also like to review Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America.
Time doesn’t stop, however, and I am taking as much as I can to document this time in American history because it is not like others in the past. I do not know what the future is, but the political norms that were present are now being eroded.
The world of 2025 is not the world of 1975, but it’s the world in which I am still alive in the sixth decade of my life. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I took a risk to get to work to try to understand what was happening. In the early days of this administration, I’m doing what I can to explain the mechanisms we have had and how it might be changing.
There are always unintended consequences of actions taken for the sake of making big changes. I do not know what’s going to happen but I know I’ll wake up tomorrow and get to work to tell you what’s in the city’s budget proposal. I hope to write up Albemarle’s budget public hearing tomorrow. Every single day I wake up and get to work to try to explain what’s happening, fully knowing that if I write more than a couple of hundred words, people will tune out.
Come what may. I’m still trying to figure out what to do with all of this, but the central impulse is to document and provide context. I am grateful for those who are assisting me to do that.
And now a Primus cover of a Rush song: