RELEASE: Eric Burlison Hides Behind Virtual Town Hall, Silences Constituents While Pushing Lies
Congressman Eric Burlison (R-Springfield) conducted a tightly controlled virtual town hall yesterday, March 26, avoiding any chance to engage directly with constituents in person. At a time when southwest Missourians are seeking clarity on pressing federal issues, Burlison opted to filter questions, permit no follow-up and shield himself from genuine accountability.
During the event, Burlison made several misleading claims, including:
- “When the American people voted for Trump, they voted to implement the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and for Elon to lead up the DOGE effort.”
- “Whenever I go into the district, everybody I talk to is excited and feels like for once, finally, the government is cutting wasteful spending. Especially from our district, what [Trump and Elon] are doing is extremely popular and people are happy to see it happen.”
These statements not only misrepresent the views of many Missourians, they also disregard growing concerns about executive overreach and the lack of transparency surrounding the so-called DOGE effort, which Burlison directly oversees as a member of the congressional subcommittee. This also reflects a broader pattern of dismissiveness from Burlison’s office.
Constituents are growing increasingly frustrated. They note that emails go unanswered, phone calls are ignored and messages receive no reply, creating a broken loop where voters attempt to reach out, yet their representative does not respond.
Even more troubling, there hasn’t been an in-person town hall in Missouri’s 7th Congressional District since 2011 – when former Rep. Billy Long first took office. This means voters in southwest Missouri haven’t had a single face-to-face opportunity with their elected representative in over a decade.
It’s clear Burlison isn’t interested in hearing from the people he represents – just controlling what and when they hear from him. But Burlison’s constituents are watching and engaging, and they’re tired of the silence, the spin and the scripted events. They demand a public, in-person town hall with their elected official.
Southwest Missourians deserve more than a one-way conversation. They deserve a representative who shows up, listens, and tells the truth.