When Your Congressman Treats You Like You Can't Read
My Letter to Chuck Edwards
I know this isn't unique to North Carolina's 11th District. Across the country, constituents are calling their representatives about the "One Big Beautiful Bill" and getting form letters, scripted responses, or worse—outright lies about what the legislation actually does. But here in Western North Carolina, we have a particularly egregious example of a congressman who thinks his constituents are too stupid to read.
Like thousands of other constituents, I've been calling Chuck Edwards' office about this devastating bill. Like Madison Maxwell, the piano teacher quoted in today's Asheville Citizen Times, it feels like "screaming into a brick wall."
But it's worse than being ignored. Edwards isn't just failing to listen—he's actively insulting our intelligence with demonstrably false claims about legislation that will devastate our community.
Yesterday's Asheville Watchdog published a devastating fact-check of Edwards' defense of the "One Big Beautiful Bill."¹ Every major claim he's made to justify his vote is either misleading or outright false. Meanwhile, his own Republican colleague Senator Thom Tillis had the courage to tell the truth, calling the bill "damage we've never seen in North Carolina."²
Edwards claims he wants to "know what all are on people's minds," but then dismisses thousands of calls as outside groups "activating folks."³ He says he has to "give consideration to the folks that elected me" while ignoring the Congressional Budget Office analysis that 663,000 North Carolinians—including his own voters—may lose healthcare coverage.⁴
I am done being treated like I can't read a CBO report.⁵ I am done with form letters that don't answer basic questions.⁶ I am done with a congressman who thinks his constituents are too stupid to understand the difference between protecting rural hospitals and defunding them by $105 billion.⁷
And we can no longer accept the excuse that "they're afraid of Trump."
Senator Thom Tillis proved that courage is still possible. He read the bill, told the truth about its devastating impact, and chose his constituents over his political career. He announced he wouldn't seek reelection rather than betray the people of North Carolina. That's what integrity looks like.
Edwards had the same choice. He could have joined Tillis in defending our healthcare system and rural hospitals. Instead, he chose to mislead his constituents with provably false talking points while 663,000 North Carolinians face losing their healthcare. Fear of Trump doesn't excuse lying to the people who elected you. Political survival doesn't justify sacrificing your constituents' lives and livelihoods.
At the end of the day, each representative has free will, but not all of them have the courage to represent the needs of their community.
So I wrote him a letter. Not a form letter. Not a scripted call. A direct, fact-based response to his pattern of misleading statements.
If you're as frustrated as I am with being insulted and told not to believe your lying eyes, feel free to adapt this letter for your own use. Our congressman needs to hear that Western North Carolina deserves better than spin and condescension.
We deserve the truth. And we deserve a representative with the courage to tell it.
Letter to Congressman Edwards:
Re: Constituent Demands Honest Representation - Stop Insulting Our Intelligence
Dear Congressman Edwards,
I am writing as your constituent to address the continued pattern of misleading statements in your defense of the "One Big Beautiful Bill," as documented in today's Asheville Watchdog fact-check.
You have repeatedly insulted the intelligence of your constituents with demonstrably false claims:
Your assertion that this bill "protects critical programs like Medicare and Medicaid" directly contradicts the Congressional Budget Office finding that 663,000 North Carolinians may lose healthcare coverage. Your colleague Senator Thom Tillis—a Republican who actually read the bill—calls this "damage we've never seen in North Carolina."
Your claim of "$1.2 trillion in federal spending cuts" securing deficit reduction is contradicted by the bipartisan CBO analysis showing the deficit will increase by $3.8-4.4 trillion over the next decade.
Your promise that rural hospitals will be "better supported" ignores that KFF estimates rural Medicaid spending will drop $155 billion while your "targeted" fund provides only $50 billion—a net loss of $105 billion that threatens to close the hospitals your constituents depend on.
I am tired of being told not to believe my lying eyes when the facts are clear.
The Tax Policy Center shows 57% of tax benefits go to households making over $217,000, while families making $35,000 or less get $160. You're asking working families to lose healthcare so millionaires can buy another Ferrari.
Your own Republican colleague had the courage to tell the truth. Senator Tillis said "I don't bow to anybody when the people of North Carolina are at risk, and this puts them at risk."
I expect my congressman to have the same courage.
Stop insulting our intelligence with provably false talking points. Western North Carolina deserves honest representation, not spin that treats us like we can't read a CBO report.
Will you follow Senator Tillis's example and acknowledge the real impact of this bill on your constituents? Or will you continue prioritizing party loyalty over factual accuracy?
Your constituents are watching, and we're keeping score.
Sincerely,
Bonnie A. Ross
Fairview, North Carolina
11th District
What You Can Do:
Today is Good Trouble Day - Join your neighbors in the streets and show you are done with being lied to.
If this is also your experience with your representative, make your voice known:
Call your congressman/woman: Demand honest answers, not form letters and spin
Email their office: Use facts and specific citations to call out misleading claims
Share your story: Document patterns of dismissive responses and false statements
Support local fact-checking journalism: Fund the reporters doing the work your representatives won't
If you're in Edwards' district specifically:
Call Edwards: 202-225-6401 (Keep calling—they're counting)
Email his office: Use the contact form on his website
Share this letter: Copy and adapt it for your own use
Your voice matters. Even when it feels like screaming into a brick wall, they're listening. The question is whether they'll have the courage to act on what they hear.
Bonnie A. Ross is a democracy activist and constitutional analyst in Fairview, NC. She writes the Democracy Spark newsletter on Substack.
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Sources:
Fiedler, Tom. "Democracy Watch: Asheville Watchdog fact-checked Chuck Edwards's claims about the 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' Here's what we found." Asheville Watchdog, July 16, 2025. https://avlwatchdog.org/asheville-watchdog-fact-checked-chuck-edwards-claims-about-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-heres-what-we-found/
Ibid. (Senator Tillis quote: "This bill does damage that we've never seen in North Carolina … I don't bow to anybody when the people of North Carolina are at risk, and this puts them at risk.")
Biba, Jacob. "Rep. Edwards got thousands of calls about the 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' Did he listen?" Asheville Citizen Times, July 17, 2025.
Fiedler, op. cit. (CBO analysis showing 663,000 North Carolinians may lose healthcare coverage)
Congressional Budget Office analysis cited in Fiedler, op. cit., showing deficit increase of $3.8-4.4 trillion over next decade, contradicting Edwards' claim of deficit reduction.
Biba, op. cit. (John Schickling's experience: "I get nothing but form letters back" that don't answer his questions)
Fiedler, op. cit. (KFF estimates rural Medicaid spending will drop $155 billion while Edwards' "targeted" fund provides only $50 billion—net loss of $105 billion)