U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans held her first telephone town hall with constituents this week since April, addressing questions on political violence, the National Guard in Washington, D.C., and the future of Naval Air Station Oceana.
The Republican congresswoman, who represents Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, has been criticized in recent months by constituents for not being available to address their questions and concerns regarding job cuts and tariffs under the Trump administration. Several protests were held earlier this year in front of her Virginia Beach office in Town Center.
Tuesday’s call lasted one hour. Kiggans, who was in Washington, D.C., kicked off the event defending her support of President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” referred to by the congresswoman as the “working families tax cut bill.” It was signed into law July 4.
“I voted ‘yes’ because of the benefit to military and defense, the quality of life improvements that we put in there for service men and women and their families, really significant, the border security piece, really significant, the stability for taxpayers, for our small businesses,” she said. “These are the reasons why I supported this bill.”
Kiggans also said she’s been working this week with her colleagues on the fiscal year 2026 budget, which begins Oct. 1. Republican legislators support a continuing resolution — legislation that allows for more time to hash out long-term spending bills and keep the government working. The stop-gap measure could be voted on by the House as soon as Friday.
She addressed the president’s recent order for placement of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.
“It makes our city safer,” said Kiggans, who resides part-time in the national’s capital.
Kiggans’ last telephone town hall in April was specifically focused on tax season, her spokesperson said.
A constituent in Suffolk asked Kiggans how Virginians can trust that she will protect citizen’s constitutional rights, mainly the freedom of speech, when they speak out against violent acts, regardless of their voting record.
“You can’t silence people … but we have to stop the name calling on both sides of the aisle,” Kiggans said. “Violence is never the answer.”
A resident of Chincoteague asked Kiggans if the federal government can do anything about the proposed closure of the visitor center facility at NASA Wallops on the Eastern Shore.
Kiggans said she wants to clear the air about the federal government’s support for NASA.
“Congress, who writes the checks, has not decreased the funding for NASA including NASA Wallops,” she said, adding that in her talks with NASA officials, they’ve indicated that facility closures are a result of “normal attrition.”
“That’s their prerogative,” Kiggans said. “As far as funding goes, and what Congress can do to advocate for full funding, we are doing that and will continue to do that because I certainly understand and appreciate the role of NASA and NASA Wallops.”
Virginia’s 2nd District encompasses Virginia Beach, Suffolk, and Franklin; parts of Chesapeake and Southampton County; and Accomack, Northampton, and Isle of Wight.
A Virginia Beach resident asked Kiggans if F-35 fighter jets will be coming to NAS Oceana and how loud will they be. The airbase currently uses F/A-18 Super Hornets.
Kiggans said she visited Naval Air Station Lemoore in California last year, which has F-35s, and was impressed by the quality of that base’s housing and other facilities.
“I know that money follows the new toys, and that’s one reason why I’ve been a staunch advocate for F-35s,” she said, quickly adding, “I think of our Navy pilots, the new ones… I want them to fly the safest aircraft with the best technology, the best weapon systems, the best radars.”
Congress has allocated money for the aircraft upgrade, and it’s up to Navy leadership to take the next step, Kiggans said. An environmental impact study of F-35s at NAS Oceana is underway, which includes consideration of the decibel levels, she said.
Republican lawmakers have scaled back holding in-person town halls in recent months amid an uptick in confrontations with voters on spending cuts. Leaders of the party instead urged representatives to communicate directly with constituents in other ways including telephone town halls or Facebook live events, formats that could allow moderators to filter questions and comments.
Following the event, a Kiggans spokesperson did not provide an answer as to whether the callers’ questions were filtered.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com