Protesters outside congressman’s office say he has been absent from his district
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
About 50 protesters gathered outside the downtown Washington office of U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler Friday afternoon, saying the Republican congressman has been absent in his district and has not held an in-person town hall meeting with constituents in his six-year tenure on Capitol Hill.
“As far as I can see, he does nothing for his constituents,” said Sharon Laffey, a Buffalo Township resident and retired social worker who organized the event, which was called “Where’s Guy?” Laffey explained she was motivated to protest because, in her estimation, Reschenthaler “cares about nothing more than showing his loyalty to (Donald) Trump.”
Donna Campbell, a Washington resident, was there with her husband, Randy. If Reschenthaler had an in-person town hall, she said she would ask him, “Why are you hiding? Why are you supporting a convicted felon and not your constituents?”
A spokeswoman for Reschenthaler did not respond to a request for comment.
The protest outside of Reschenthaler’s office is part of a string of demonstrations that have taken place across the country since President Trump returned to the White House in January. In June, hundreds of people gathered outside the Washington County Courthouse for a “No Kings” rally opposing Trump administration policies, and in Uniontown, there was a “Rage Against the Regime” demonstration earlier this month.
Reschenthaler handily defeated Democratic opponents in the 2018, 2020 and 2024 elections. In the 2022 contest, he ran unopposed in the general election. Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District, which the 42-year-old Reschenthaler represents, includes all of Greene, Washington and Fayette counties, and large portions of Westmoreland, Indiana and Somerset counties. Trump carried the district by large margins in his 2016, 2020 and 2024 White House bids.
Reschenthaler is the chief deputy whip for the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. An avid supporter of Trump, he introduced legislation in 2024 to rename Washington Dulles International Airport to the Donald J. Trump International Airport.