Democrat McGarvey is about to boost his town hall lead over Kentucky GOP congressmen to 11-0.

By BERRY CRAIG

AFT and KEA/NEA retiree

Kentucky's quintet of Republican congressmen seems allergic to town halls.

In Paducah, near where I live, not even a fivesome in bright yellow chicken suits could shame Rep. James Comer into facing the folks in the far western end of the Old First.

Third District Rep. Morgan McGarvey, a Louisvillian and Kentucky's sole Team Blue player on Capitol Hill, is set to host what would be his 11th town hall, according to a staffer in his Washington office. The "Social Security Town Hall" will be on May 31 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at First Gethsemane Baptist Church, 1159 Algonquin Pkwy in the congressman's hometown. (See pictured notice.)

He will share the microphone with Martin O'Malley, a former Social Security Administration commissioner and governor of Maryland; and State Sen. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville.

Kirk Gillenwaters, president of the Kentucky Alliance for Retired Americans, said it especially behooves fellow union retirees to turn up. 

"It is so important because of everything the Trump administration and the DOGE group have done to create problems within the Social Security Administration by closing call centers and Social Security offices, which makes it harder for people who have problems with their Social Security or are are trying to get their Social Security.

"It's imperative that we make our voices heard," added Gillenwaters, a United Auto Workers Local 862 retiree and a member of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO Executive Board.

He warned that Kentucky would be among the states hardest hit by GOP proposed cuts to Medicaid funding. "A little over 75 percent of the total funding for Medicaid in Kentucky comes from the federal government," he said. 

Gillenwaters agreed that McGarvey is one of of the most pro-union lawmakers in Washington. He scores 100 percent on the AFL-CIO's Legislative Scorecard, which rates how representatives and senators "stand on issues important to working families, including strengthening Social Security and Medicare, freedom to join a union, improving workplace safety and more." (The ARA also scored him 100 percent on its most current record of how lawmakers vote on legislation "of critical importance to retirees.")

The latest AFL-CIO scorecard rates legislators on how they voted in 2023 and how they have voted since they were sworn in. McGarvey notched a perfect score in both categories.

So how do Kentucky's two Republican senators and five congressman rate? 

Senators

Mitch McConnell (Republican) 0 percent, 2023, 17 percent, lifetime.

Rand Paul (Republican) 0, 10.

Members of Congress

Andy Barr (Republican, 6th District) 10, 10.

James Comer (Republican, 1st) 10, 12.

Brett Guthrie (Republican, 2nd) 10, 12

Thomas Massie (Republican, 4th) 10, 15

Morgan McGarvey (Democrat, 3rd) 100, 100.

Harold Rogers (Republican, 5th) 10, 15.