COLUMBUS, Ohio — Many constituents are encountering busy signals and full voicemail boxes when trying to contact U.S. Senate offices to express their views regarding President Donald Trump’s Cabinet selections, executive actions, and plans to reduce various federal programs.
A recent memo shared with Senate staff highlighted that incoming call volumes are significantly higher than normal, leading to accessibility issues for some callers.
According to the memo, “The Senate is experiencing an unusually high volume of inbound calls. External callers may receive a temporary busy signal when phoning a Senate office.”
This surge in communication—claimed by some Senate members to be unprecedented—occurs as Trump and business magnate Elon Musk pursue a strategy to downsize the federal government shortly after the president took office. This includes closing agencies, freezing funding temporarily, and encouraging staff resignations, while Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency attempts to investigate departments to combat fraud and misuse of resources.
Progressive advocacy groups, like Indivisible, are motivating frustrated citizens to contact their representatives via phone and in person, with some even calling on Democratic senators to “shut down the Senate.”
A widely circulated message on social media urged individuals opposed to these initiatives to call their representatives six times daily, breaking it down to two calls each to their senators and their House member. It remarked, “You should NOT be bothering with online petitions or emailing,” suggesting a smartphone application to facilitate multiple daily calls.
Caitlin Christman, a contractor from Wisconsin who was recently furloughed from the U.S. Agency for International Development, explained her difficulties trying to leave a message for her senator, Republican Ron Johnson. She recounted needing several attempts over five days, facing issues with a full voicemail and unreliable recorded messages.
“I wanted to express my concern with dismantling USAID without any sort of review, and to relay my experience with its work, which I believe has been in our country’s best interest,” she stated, adding that she anticipates termination later in the week.
In Ohio, Meryl Neiman from Ohio Progressive Action Leaders highlighted similar struggles reaching Republican Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted as the nation prepared for upcoming protests against Trump and Project 2025, a conservative framework for government and societal operations.
Both senators are closely affiliated with Trump’s vice-president, JD Vance, with Moreno accompanying him on a tour of the site of the 2023 derailment in East Palestine just recently.
Frustrated citizens shared their experiences with accessing their lawmakers, noting particular difficulties in connecting with Senate offices held by Trump’s fellow Republicans, who may be busier than Democrats given their majority status and closer relationship with the president.
Lawmakers themselves have expressed exasperation as they strive to continue their responsibilities amid this call influx. Senate voicemail systems can only accommodate approximately 1,000 messages before becoming full and necessitating management.
A spokesperson for Senator Moreno, Reagan McCarthy, remarked that aiding Ohio residents is a primary concern.
“While the Senate has been dealing with an exceptionally high volume of calls, our office is committed to responding to each and every Ohioan in need of assistance and working through all requests as quickly as possible,” she stated.
