February 2026 Telephone Town Hall: Claims vs. Record

Statement

In February 2026, Rep. Langworthy held a monthly telephone town hall broadcast to residents across NY-23’s nine counties. The call covered government shutdowns, ICE enforcement, the Epstein files, the Energy Choice Act, the SAVE Act, and constituent access.

This entry documents seven fact-checkable claims made during the call and cross-references them against the public record. A full transcript is available from an audio recording of the call.

Why This Matters for NY-23

Telephone town halls are Rep. Langworthy’s primary form of constituent engagement. He has not held an in-person town hall since taking office in January 2023. For many constituents, these calls are the only opportunity to hear directly from their representative and ask questions.

When claims made during these calls are inaccurate or lack context, thousands of constituents receive information that does not match the public record.

Claim-by-Claim Analysis

Claim 1: “I hope by now you know that I’m always against government shutdowns”

Verdict: FALSE

“I hope by now you know that I’m always against government shutdowns. They don’t work. They harm the American people and they’re just wrong.”

The Record:

On December 19, 2024, Rep. Langworthy voted NO on H.R. 10545, the continuing resolution that would have prevented the government shutdown. The CR failed 174-235, and the government shut down from December 21, 2024 through January 3, 2025.

A vote against the continuing resolution is a vote that contributes to a government shutdown. Claiming to have “always been against” shutdowns while voting against the legislation that would have prevented one is contradicted by the voting record.

See also: Government Shutdown / “Defund ICE”

Claim 2: “President Obama alone deported more than three million people”

Verdict: MISSING CONTEXT

“Every administration has carried out deportations to a certain degree. President Obama alone deported more than three million people that had come into the country illegally.”

The Record:

The Obama administration (FY2009-FY2016) carried out approximately 3 million formal removals over eight years. The raw number is roughly accurate.

However, the comparison omits critical differences between Obama-era enforcement and current ICE operations:

In plain language: The “3 million” figure spans eight years and was overwhelmingly driven by people caught at the border, not long-settled residents removed from their communities. The comparison omits the difference between border removals and interior enforcement of long-settled residents.

Sources: Migration Policy Institute, Bipartisan Policy Center

Claim 3: “We had upwards of 20 million people come in four years”

Verdict: FALSE

“We had an invasion of this country. We had upwards of 20 million people come in four years.”

The Record:

Official CBP data for FY2021-FY2024:

Adding the estimated 1.7-2 million “known gotaways” reported by CBP brings the combined total to approximately 12-13 million.

The “20 million” figure is nearly double the official encounter total. Additionally, “encounters” do not equal people who entered and stayed — the total includes individuals who were expelled, turned back, or encountered multiple times. CBP reported a ~27% recidivism rate in FY2021, meaning the same individuals were counted more than once.

Sources: CBP Nationwide Encounters, House Homeland Security Committee FY2024 Factsheet

Claim 4: “That was a different era before social media was as prevalent”

Verdict: FALSE

“Things during Biden’s deportations, that was a different era before social media was as prevalent. You didn’t have everyone running around with a camera filming everything.”

The Record:

The Biden administration served from January 2021 through January 2025 — ending approximately four weeks before this town hall.

During the Biden era:

• Global social media users grew from 4.2 billion (2021) to 5.04 billion (2024)
• Average daily social media usage exceeded 2 hours per day globally
• TikTok usage among Americans grew from 5% to 21%
• The United States had approximately 308 million social networking users in 2023

The Biden presidency was one of the most social-media-saturated periods in history. It ended weeks before this call, not in a “different era.”

Sources: Statista - Social Networks, DataReportal - Social Media Users

Claim 5: “One of the people that lost their life was doing this professionally”

Verdict: FALSE

“There is professional agitation. It’s very publicized and documented. I believe one of the people that lost their life was doing this professionally.”

This appears to refer to Renee Good, a woman killed on February 9, 2026 by ICE agents in Minneapolis.

The Record:

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stated that video evidence contradicted the characterization of Good as a violent participant. Good was described by family and community members as a mother and activist, not a professional agitator.

Rep. Langworthy’s previous Facebook post described Good as a “violent rioter” who “weaponized her vehicle.” That characterization was contradicted by available video evidence.

See also: Minneapolis / Renee Good

Claim 6: “Stephen Miller is an advisor… He is not a cabinet-level official”

Verdict: MISLEADING

A constituent raised concerns about Stephen Miller’s public statements regarding ICE authority. Rep. Langworthy responded:

“Stephen Miller is an advisor to the president. He is not a cabinet-level official… he goes on television shows and he provides provocative interviews.”

The Record:

Stephen Miller’s official title is Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor, appointed January 20, 2025. Deputy Chief of Staff is one of the most senior positions in the White House. Miller is widely described as a principal architect of the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda.

Miller’s official title and responsibilities place him among the most senior positions in the White House, beyond what the term “advisor” conveys.

Sources: NPR

Claim 7: Telephone Town Hall Format — “I do it every single month”

Verdict: MISSING CONTEXT

When a constituent asked Rep. Langworthy to commit to an in-person town hall, he responded:

“This is how I conduct town hall meetings since I took office. I do it every single month. I’ve done it every single month I’ve been in office and I have six thousand people on the phone right now… I am not committing to changing the format in which I conduct town halls.”

The Record:

Rep. Langworthy has not held an in-person town hall since taking office in January 2023.

Constituents have disputed the “every single month” claim. An organizer of the April 2025 “empty seat” town hall in Corning stated that “half of his telephone town halls get canceled last minute.” No publicly accessible archive of telephone town hall dates exists to independently verify the monthly claim.

The telephone format has structural limitations relevant to accountability:

• Callers cannot see visual materials or documents
• Follow-up questions are limited by the moderator
• During this call, at least two callers were disconnected after making statements the congressman objected to
• No public recording or transcript is made available by the office

Sources: WSKG, WKBW

Notable Exchanges

“We don’t screen for questions” — But callers were disconnected

Rep. Langworthy opened the call by stating:

“We don’t screen for questions. This is a government phone call. I cannot screen for party affiliation.”

During the call, two separate constituents (Cooper and David) were disconnected after making allegations about the president’s connection to the Epstein case. In both cases, Langworthy terminated the exchange:

“I am not going to allow you to talk like that… for anyone to think that his political adversaries had control of these files for four unadulterated years and would not have used those in the course of the most high profile election in our nation’s history is ludicrous.”

“Unfortunately, we’re going to have to let you go. I mean, this is just absurd.”

Disconnecting callers during their statements limits follow-up in a way that is functionally distinct from an unscreened format. Both callers were disconnected after raising allegations about the president’s connection to the Epstein case.

NYSEG: Discusses high bills, does not address pending rate case

Rep. Langworthy discussed NYSEG electric bills at length:

“I got a text today from NYSEG telling me basically to get me ready for the bad bill coming and suggested that if anyone needs help to call them.”

He attributed high electric costs to state energy policy and cold weather. He did not mention the pending NYSEG rate case before the Public Service Commission — a $500M+ rate increase request that would raise residential bills by an estimated 11-15%. State Sen. George Borrello (a Republican representing overlapping territory) has actively intervened in the PSC proceedings on behalf of constituents. Rep. Langworthy has made no public statement on the rate case.

See also: NYSEG Rate Hike Silence

Epstein: Explains Rules Committee vote; does not address discharge petition or deposition

When asked about his Rules Committee vote against the Epstein files amendment, Rep. Langworthy explained:

“The Democrats were trying to take the Epstein situation and attach it to a cryptocurrency bill, which made no sense whatsoever. It wasn’t germane to the bill at hand.”

He added: “When the resolution was a standalone measure on the floor, I voted for it. I think there should be full transparency in the Epstein matter.”

This explanation does not address:

• He did not sign the bipartisan discharge petition (H.Res. 867) to force a floor vote on H.R. 4405
• He did not attend the February 18, 2026 Wexner deposition before the Oversight Committee, instead conducting a district-wide funding announcement tour
• His standalone floor vote (H.R. 4405 on Nov 18, 2025) came only after 271 House members had already voted YES

See also: Epstein Files / Discharge Petition

Documented Patterns Reinforced

This town hall reinforces several patterns documented across multiple fact-checks:

Pattern: Deflect to Previous Administrations Every constituent concern about current ICE enforcement was met with references to Obama or Biden-era deportations. The documented differences in enforcement scope and methods were not addressed.

Pattern: Vote Record Contradicts Stated Position Rep. Langworthy attributed the DHS shutdown to Democrats. He voted against the December 2024 CR that would have prevented it.

Pattern: Form Response / Non-Response Multiple constituents who raised specific bill requests (H.R. 6130, H.R. 2036, H.R. 3747) were told “we’ll get back to you” — consistent with the documented pattern of responses arriving after action has already been taken.

Related fact-checks:

• Government Shutdown / “Defund ICE”
• Minneapolis / Renee Good
• SAVE Act / Voter ID
• Energy Choice Act
• NYSEG Rate Hike Silence
• Epstein Files / Discharge Petition
• Town Halls / Constituent Access

Summary Table

In Plain Language

During his February telephone town hall, Rep. Langworthy made several claims that do not match the public record:

• He said he has “always” opposed government shutdowns, but he voted against the bill that would have prevented the December 2024 shutdown.
• He cited Obama-era deportation numbers in response to questions about current ICE operations, without noting that Obama’s removals were overwhelmingly people caught at the border — not the interior enforcement operations constituents were asking about.
• He claimed 20 million people entered the country under Biden. Official data shows roughly half that number, and not all of those individuals entered or remained.
• He described the Biden presidency as a “different era” for social media. It ended four weeks before this call.
• He described a Minneapolis victim as someone who was protesting “professionally.” This was previously contradicted by video evidence.
• He characterized Stephen Miller as “an advisor” rather than by his official title: Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy.
• He refused to hold an in-person town hall while claiming monthly telephone town halls — a format where callers were disconnected after making statements about the president’s connection to the Epstein case.

Sources

• Congress.gov — H.R. 10545 Roll Call Vote (Dec 19, 2024)
• CBP Nationwide Encounters
• House Homeland Security Committee — FY2024 Factsheet
• Migration Policy Institute — Obama Record on Deportations
• Bipartisan Policy Center — Comparing Trump and Obama’s Deportation Priorities
• NPR — Trump names Stephen Miller deputy chief of staff
• Statista — Social Networks
• DataReportal — Social Media Users
• WSKG — Frustrated constituents hold “empty seat” town hall
• WKBW — Langworthy declines invitation to public town hall

Note: This entry documents publicly available information from a telephone town hall recording, congressional voting records, CBP data, and independent reporting. All direct quotes are transcribed from the call. Readers may draw their own conclusions.

Last updated: February 25, 2026