Rep. Vern Buchanan not representing constituents

The U.S. Congress is in recess this week. The purpose of the recess is to enable our senators and representatives to meet with constituents. Staff at Rep. Vern Buchanan’s offices in Bradenton and Sarasota have promised to let us know when he’ll meet with us. We have heard nothing.

I have visited and called both offices numerous times and the answer is always the same. They don’t know when there will be a meeting. I heard he is in Thailand but have been unable to confirm that. If this is true, I would like to know if he has constituents in Thailand.

Here’s a question I’d like to ask him at a town hall forum. The congressman is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which just voted not to request Trump’s tax returns from the Treasury Department. Mr. Buchanan was one of 23 who voted not to request the returns.

Those returns would become public had they voted the other way. Polling tells us most people, including Republicans, believe his returns should be released. Why doesn’t the congressman want us to see those returns?

I’d also like to know why after voting over 60 times to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, no proposal has come from him or any other congressperson to do it in this Congress. Could it be that they knew their attempt would come to nothing in the last Congress, but that it could pass now and be signed by the current president? Where are all their wonderful ideas to replace it?

This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Rep. Vern Buchanan not representing constituents."