Dear Editor,

I was in attendance at Congressman Yakym’s mobile office hours on Wednesday, March 19. I was quoted by Liz Adkins from InkFreeNews, who did a good job reporting about what happened in the meeting. I would like to restate my position that I support reducing the government. But only in a thoughtful way with our legislators wholly involved with the process.

I would like to point out some additional comments that were made in the meeting.

There was a wide cross section of people in the meeting.

Many were Republicans angry about what has happened since the inauguration. One gentleman noted that he had been a Republican all his life. He said the majority of people in Kosciusko County are Republican, and a large portion of them are angry now.

Mr. Schultz, Rudy Yakym’s representative, was asked by a constituent if the congressman was going to read the notes that he was making. Mr Shultz did not respond. The constituent asked the question again. Mr Shultz again did not respond. The constituent finally said, “You just gave me your answer.” If the congressman were going to be reading the comments from the meeting, the response would be clear and definitive. Yakym is not going to read his constituents’ comments and concerns from the meeting.

One of the constituents asked if Congressman Yakym supports all of Trump’s agenda. Again, Mr. Schultz declined to answer. The constituent pressed Mr. Schultz for an answer, and Schultz finally replied that Congressman Yakym supports what the president is doing 100%.

We all know that whoever wins elections gets to govern. Elections are highly partisan. Fair enough. But when the partisan campaigning is over, an elected official needs to pivot and work for his entire constituency. Rudy Yakym should listen to all his constituents’ concerns and respond accordingly. A strong leader is one who can be a leader for all. The passionate and respectful comments at the meeting demonstrated how Yakym has yet to truly respond to the needs of the constituents in the 2nd District.

Rudy Yakym is great at holding scripted events. We’ve all seen his carefully crafted appearances and campaign ads. Not once, however, has Yakym stood before his constituents and answered real questions except at scripted events. He refused to be part in a debate in his last elections. His constituents deserve better. One can understand a certain amount of hesitancy considering the passion that has been seen at many town hall meetings across the country. If Yakym can’t stand up in front of his own constituents, then how is going stand up for us on the floor of the House of Representatives?

The congressman has a beautiful, quite partisan website and will respond to emails with generic script. I received one last night, I am guessing because I gave my email address at Wednesday’s meeting.

Here is what he said in one part of his email:

“Several Trump Administration officials, including President Trump himself, have assured Congress and the American people that the DOGE team does not have unilateral authority to make decisions on issues of government funding, staffing, or whether to end government programs. DOGE is identifying where we can be more efficient, but ultimately Congress will have the final say on whether government programming remains authorized.”

Really? I listen to news sources with a wide cross section of perspectives. If this statement was true, this would be headline news.

Congressman Yakym, your constituents want to connect with you. They want to hear personally from you that your No. 1 priority is to be an advocate for their interests in Washington. They want to see that you have the skill and insight not just to march lockstep with your party leadership, but that you are willing to listen to and fight for all of your constituents.

The only way that you can do this is to look your constituents in the face and listen to them. Only then can you go back to Washington and prove that your heart and soul belongs to the amazing people in the 2nd District of Indiana.

Don Guthrie
Warsaw