On March 17, concerned citizens spent a portion of their evening on a teleconference call with Rep. Kevin Kiley (R) of California’s 3rd District to address the changes taking place within the federal government and how it will affect their slice of the Golden State.
Demands for a town hall meeting with Kiley have been emerging in Nevada City, Rocklin and South Lake Tahoe with gatherings in front of his offices in those cities, demanding a town hall to have their voices heard. The demands come following the sudden and significant cuts taking place throughout the federal government through the auspices of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. Further complicating the dynamic between the representative and his constituency, GOP House of Representatives Campaign Chairman Richard Hudson told Republican lawmakers to stop holding town halls earlier in the month.
Even if Kiley’s face hasn’t been present in his district, there is plenty of evidence of his presence in Washington D.C. A comparably fresh face in the Grand Old Party, Kiley recently gained prominence on the Beltway circuit after lambasting Rep. Al Green (D) and the Democratic party for interrupting Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address. While speaking in front of Congress, Kiley said that the “pathetic little protests” by the democratic side of the aisle “represented everything that is wrong with politics in this country.”
The March 6 speech in front of Congress saw further colorful language leveled toward its democratic members.
“There was a willful decision to sacrifice any individuality to the orders being given by party leadership,” Kiley said.
Kiley has been a fierce critic of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, specifically on his handling of the homelessness crisis in the state, the cost of Medicaid services for undocumented residents and the high-speed rail project. A recent proposal from Kiley’s office recommends “Newsom-Proofing California.” The proposal advocates ending the sanctuary state policy and shifting to a cooperative relationship with federal immigration enforcement, the expansion of the California water supply through deregulation and reservoir production, the removal of homeless encampments throughout the state and several other positions designed to reverse the Governor’s most unpopular policies among California voters. Kiley’s positions also happen to align with the plans of the Trump administration, with a quote from Trump himself emblazoned across the cover page of the proposal.
“There can be no Golden Age without the Golden State,” Trump said on the cover of the proposal.
The call screening process used by Kiley’s office allowed many of these proposals to find their way onto the teleconference as questions from concerned citizens, presented as an ad hoc question and answer session.
Financial prudence ran consistent throughout the town hall, with reports such as one from the U.S. General Accounting Office that found $162 billion in estimated improper payments from the federal government in the fall 2024 quarter. This report, referencing information from Paymentaccuracy.gov, determines fraud using similar metrics to the DOGE government cuts by considering any incomplete or lacking documents to be evidence of fraud and waste. The dataset that determined whether the program being highlighted was susceptible to corruption was limited in its scope, having confirmations of fraud and corruption using a simple yes/no metric.
Some opinions weren’t shared between Kiley and members of his constituency. When Doug McDougal of Auburn called in, McDougal expressed concern about the state of the economy and aggressive foreign policy, charges that were dismissed as inaccurate by Kiley.
“We’re seeing the stock market and stock indices declining sharply. We’re seeing threats against the very sovereignty of our largest trading partner and staunchest ally Canada, not to mention Greenland, not to mention the Panama Canal. We are seeing the dismantling of the NATO alliance, which has preserved the peace in the western hemisphere for over 80 years. We’re seeing the flaunting of court orders and the continuation of the legal acts by the executive branch,” McDougal said on the teleconference call. “I’m wondering, Congressman Kiley, if you’re doing anything to stand up against that, or if you think that’s OK.”
Kiley rejected the notion of an incoming recession, citing domestic indicators that the economic policies of the Trump administration are proving beneficial to Americans.
“When you look at the economy, there are some signs of optimism as well,” Kiley said. “We see that when it comes to key commodities prices are starting to go down and we’re starting to catalyze new forms of job creation and domestic manufacturing.”
Domestic manufacturing has indeed shown signs of growth, as noted in the Feb. 2025 edition of the “Beige Book,” or the monthly summary of the economic condition of the country published by the Federal Reserve. This may not be the economic boon that workers may anticipate, as this same summary shows employment declining in manufacturing. Industry contacts interviewed for the summary expressed nervousness around the impact of potential tariffs on the price of lumber and other materials. Additionally, consumer confidence has fallen by more than 10% from last month, according to a recent survey by the University of Michigan.
The most frequently mentioned point, as well as the most frequently defended one on the teleconference call, was the extension of the Tax Cut and Job Act. Colloquially referred to as the Trump Tax Cuts, the 2017 tax code adjustment saw the expansion of the standard deduction as well as the child tax credit at the cost of fewer itemized deductions and the complete repeal of personal exceptions.
Critics of the tax cut extension being promoted by Kiley cite a depreciation in the actual tax revenue in the first year of its inception, an unsustainable federal budget that cannot afford tax cuts and the fact that the budget cannot be balanced in the manner proposed by the Trump administration without making cuts out of Medicaid.
When asked about threats to Medicare made by the Trump administration, Kiley cited his work with the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the Social Security Fairness Act, both bills implemented to curb unchecked spending by the federal government through austerity measures and eliminating social security for pensioners respectively.
Expanding on his policy regarding the extension of TCJA, Kiley has been advocating for a small change to the legislation that would be beneficial for Californians, at the cost of state and local tax revenue.
“In 2017 they said that you’re only allowed now to deduct $10,000 of your state and local taxes on your federal return, and what that meant in a very high tax state like California is that a lot of our taxpayers are now able to deduct a lot less and having to pay a lot more,” Kiley said. “So, I’m advocating very strongly for an increase to that state and local tax deduction cap which will result in significant tax savings for a lot of Californians.”
Kiley’s policies may outwardly appear supportive of Californians, he has mentioned recently that oversight is not the responsibility of journalists. While a guest on Feb. 21 episode of the Guy Benson Show, Kiley discussed the news media’s treatment of Trump following his accusations that the wildfires were exacerbated by California’s water policy. When asked for his reaction to the news media’s critiques of Trump’s accusations about California water policy relating to the L.A. wildfires, Kiley mentioned his disdain for oversight over such accusations.
“I don’t think it’s one that ought to be subject to fact checking, right?” Kiley said. “I don’t think there’s any authority who should be the arbiter of truth and not truth when it comes to these sorts of broad policy questions.”
Kiley’s stance on oversight aligns with the recent executive order published by the White House on Feb 18, wherein the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communication Commission and the Securities and Exchanges Commission were specifically named as lacking impartiality. The executive order goes on to state that these departments will be under the auspices of the White House, thus removing the capacity for governmental oversight that was the raison d’etat for the creation of those departments at their onset.
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