Freshman Democrats just wrapped up another district work period where they set the bar for accountability and accessibility and heard from constituents in every corner of their districts. Democrats’ focus on accessibility marks a stark change from the Republicans they replaced in Congress just months ago; those Republicans built a reputation for running from voters and hiding from tough questions while serving Washington special interests. Voters have already noticed the freshman Democrats’ early work to change the culture in Washington, but they’re just getting started.
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Here’s what people are saying:
Nationally:
Freshman Dems Are the Kids in the (Town) Hall
Ally Mutnick | National Journal
[…]
“I think the era where you can avoid having those tough conversations is over,” said Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, who beat a Republican incumbent in suburban Denver last year. “People in any district, mine included, deserve to know where you stand on issues, and deserve to have transparency.”
With more town halls scheduled for the current two-week recess, Democrats are actively highlighting this commitment to interacting with constituents, including expending campaign dollars.
[…]
The freshmen provide a stark contrast from last cycle when town halls became increasingly scarce. Just half of the nearly four-dozen Republicans who held seats that flipped to Democrats had hosted public events by mid-April 2017, per LegiStorm data. They hosted some 50 events total, but the bulk of those came from former Rep. David Young of Iowa, who hosted 17 open meetings in the first four months.
In a Trump district, a freshman House Democrat works on repeating his success
Paul Kane | Washington Post
That was Delgado’s 12th formal town hall, part of a concerted effort of “being everywhere” in his district — it is as big as Connecticut and Rhode Island combined — so that he can take its pulse and not get sucked into the latest Washington drama.
“The more that I’m able to connect with folks back home, the more of a sense we can build on each other’s own relationship, irrespective of what’s happening in D.C.,” Delgado said in an interview the next day.
[…]
The economy has “doubled” but “wages haven’t gone anywhere” as 95 percent of the gains have gone to the top 1 percent as banks “started repackaging debt” and hedge funds took over, he said. Workers in this region, once home to massive IBM and General Electric plants, no longer get lifetime jobs at factories to “work your way up.”
That is why Delgado faced just one question about Mueller over 11 hours Monday, a soft plea to see whether Congress could read the entire report and not just the redacted version.
No one mentioned impeachment. No one mentioned Trump.
No one.
Delgado told the students that he would stick to his plan, focus on kitchen-table issues and try to keep doing this job. “Give it everything I got, fight for things that I believe in,” Delgado said. “Be your voice, so long as you let me be your voice.”
On Local TV:
NH-01 | WMUR: Rep Chris Pappas holds listening session on water contamination in Merrimack
NY-19 | YNNCAP: Rep. Delgado holds town hall with residents in Hoosick Falls
SC-01 | WCSC: Rep. Joe Cunningham hosts town hall
MN-02 | KTT6: Congresswoman Angie Craig listens to constituents at a mental health roundtable
NY-22 | Spectrum News: Taking climate change seriously
VA-07 | ABC 8: Rep. Spanberger holds town hall
CA-49 | KUSI: Congressman Mike Levin holds discussion with veterans about transitions into civilian life
IA-01 | KWWL: Finkenauer announces town halls
IA-02 | WHO-HD: Congresswoman Cindy Axne helps clean up debris after flood
VA-02 | WAVY: Rep. Luria hosts town hall
In Local Print:
CA-10 | Tackling homelessness at town hall
Michael Ellis Langley | Tracy Press
A four-member panel of federal, county and local leaders kept coming back to one theme during a town hall on homelessness Monday night: Nothing will change without collaboration.
The Tracy Community Homelessness Task Force, made up of churches and nonprofit agencies, hosted the conversation at City Hall. Councilwoman Rhodesia Ransom, who helped found the task force, hosted panelists Rep. Josh Harder, San Joaquin County Supervisor Kathy Miller and Adam Cheshire, who administers homeless initiatives for the San Joaquin Continuum of Care.
[…]
Harder talked about the “skyrocketing” cost of housing in the Central Valley and about a bill he co-sponsored in Congress to fund services that go with providing more housing.
FL-26 | Debbie Mucarsel-Powell readies South Florida health care tour
Ryan Nicol | Florida Politics
U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell says she plans to kick off a health care tour of South Florida Thursday with a roundtable discussion at her Miami office.
Thursday’s event will focus on protections for preexisting conditions as well as lowering health care costs. Mucarsel-Powell says she plans on meeting with community leaders and health care advocates who will discuss “navigating the broken health care system.”
She joined many Democrats throughout the country in making health care a primary issue of her 2018 campaign. That effort saw Mucarsel-Powell oust GOP U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo in the race for Florida’s 26th Congressional District.
GA-06 | AJC: McBath pledges bipartisanship at first town hall meeting
David Wickert | Atlanta Journal Constitution
On Saturday, McBath vowed to be a voice for bipartisanship in a polarized political climate.
“I represent Republicans. I represent Democrats. I represent independents,” she told the crowd at her first town hall meeting, drawing more applause. “I represent you all.”
IA-01 | Rep. Abby Finkenauer hosts open house in Waterloo
Thomas Nelson | The Courier
Rep. Abby Finkenauer held an open house at her new Waterloo constituent office Tuesday.
The office will be staffed by Yeshi Abebe, a former assistant Black Hawk County attorney and Board of Supervisors candidate.
“We are so excited to have Yeshi heading up as the district rep here in the Waterloo office and of the great experience she comes with,” Finkenauer said.
It was important for Finkenauer to have residents of the 1st District on her staff to make sure the district is heard, she said.
It was one of a series of open houses at Finkenauer’s offices around Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.
“It’s about making sure that we have an Iowa and have a district where folks can come back home and folks don’t have to leave for opportunities to be able to grow and raise their families,” Finkenauer said.
IA-03 | Congresswoman Cindy Axne Visits Flood-Damaged Pacific Junction
Roger Riley | WHOTV
Congresswoman Cindy Axne, a West Des Moines Democrat, came to Pacific Junction in Mills County after the water has finally receded. The town was closed almost a month due to high water.
Residents are busy removing flood debris, ruined beds, games, computers and drywall from within their homes.
Axne listened as residents talked about how the flood affected them.
[…]
“We did a meeting with small business owners in Hamburg about 10 days ago. About 40 folks came out,” said Axne. “We were able to right then tangibly see the motel owner, Mr. Patel, who was refused his loan by the Small Business Administration. I was able to talk with the SBA right then and there and say, ‘what are we going to do to fix this?'” said Axne.
IL-06 | Education, training and adaptability key to shaping workforce, experts say at meeting held by congressmen
Suzanne Baker | Naperville Sun
Hosted by U.S. Reps. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, and Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove, the discussion on the future of work and education was held at the college’s Wentz Science Center in Naperville. Foster and Casten share portions of the college campus in their respective districts.
The panelists told the audience that as automation and technology replace jobs, it is important to retrain adult workers and prepare high schools to adapt to the ever-changing career landscape.
IL-14 | Underwood gets to work on prescription drug cost relief
James Fuller | Daily Herald
Underwood told constituents at a town hall in Warrenville this week she wants to see the full, unedited Mueller report, but her primary focus is delivering on campaign promises. As a nurse, she believes her constituents elected her, in part, to use her expertise to make a positive impact on health care. She’s targeting sustainable, lower prescription drug prices with her early policy efforts.
“There is not a magic bill that’s already been sitting on the shelf waiting for us to vote on,” Underwood told the audience. “We have so many companies in Chicagoland that do this important (research) work. We don’t want to limit their ability to bring drugs to market because we are trying to make it more affordable for consumers.”
KS-03 | Congresswoman Davids goes on
transportation tour of 3rd District
Staff | Wyandotte
Daily
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., visited sites in the 3rd District during a transportation and infrastructure tour on Friday.
She said she met with engineers and public officials to learn about the facilities and projects that are receiving federal funding. Rep. Davids serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Rep. Davids said she was seeking as broad an understanding of the local projects and needs as possible. She heard from local governments, cities, counties and project engineers.
[…]
MI-11 | Congresswoman Haley Stevens hosting education town hall Thursday
Mark Cavitt | The Oakland Press
The education-focused event will be held at 6 p.m. inside Kehrl Auditorium on the campus of Schoolcraft College. Although ID’s will not be checked prior to admission, residents of Michigan’s 11th Congressional District are being encouraged to attend the informative event.
Over the past three months, Stevens has hosted town halls in Plymouth and Milford along with a tele-town hall in late March from her Washington D.C. office.
“I’m looking forward to having the conversation about education,” said Furlow. “The decrease in funding has really hampered what we’re able to do for our students in the classroom. There aren’t a lot of programs that we can continue to add without increased funding.”
MN-02 | Rep. Craig attends Rural Voices discussion
Chuck Smith-Dewey | CD2Action
Rep. Angie Craig was part of a panel of listeners at the Minnesota Farmers Union’s Rural Voices Discussion in Cannon Falls on Friday, April 26, 2019.
This meeting was described as a listening session by moderator Bruce Miller, who serves as the MFU’s Outreach and Membership Director.
[…]
In addition to Rep. Craig, other panel members included MFU President Gary Wertish; Minnesota Ag Dept. Assistant Commissoner Whitney Place; and Chef JD Frantze , who will open a supper club inside Artisan Plaza next month/ The Artisan Plaza is a food hall in Cannon Falls, Minn where this event was held.
NH-01 | Pappas holds listening session on water contamination in Merrimack
Jean Mackin | WMUR
Freshman U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas invited Granite Staters to a listening session Monday night to hear their concerns about water contamination, and what they want done about it at the state and congressional levels.
Democrat Pappas pledged Congress would take up the question of how much contamination should be allowed in drinking water – a major concern in New Hampshire communities around manufacturing plants and military bases.
NJ-11 | Sherrill Announces Autism Action At Chatham School
Russ Crespolini | NJ Patch
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, NJ-11, toured Education, Careers & Lifelong Community (ECLC) of New Jersey in Chatham Tuesday where she announced membership in Autism Caucus and support for Autism CARES Act of 2019.
Sherrill was visiting the Chatham school to highlight services that include and empower people with disabilities and their families.
“With the incredible rate of growth of autism diagnoses in New Jersey, it is critical that we support the research, education, and access to services that individuals on the autism spectrum and their families need,” said Sherrill. “Families in the autism community have shared with me their fears as their children transition to adulthood. Many people lose access to crucial services and face tremendous uncertainty if their parents can no longer care for them. I am proud today to join the Autism Caucus, with their focus on education, research and easing the burden on these families; and to co-sponsor a reauthorization of the Autism CARES Act with new language to encompass the entire lifespan of individuals with autism.”
NM-02 |
Border questions top Torres Small’s first forum here
Geoffrey Plant | Silver
City Daily Press
U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small addressed local and national hot-button issues during a town hall held at Western New Mexico University’s Miller Library on Thursday evening.
…“The most important census is in the hands of the public,” she said. “We are two years away from an election, and every person should make their voice heard about that.”
Immigration and border issues came up more than once during the Q&A. Torres Small, who has represented New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District since the beginning of this year, counseled reasonable solutions to the real problems at the U.S. southern border, but cautioned against calling it “a national emergency, or a crisis.”
…On broadband in rural New Mexico: “We can invest in broadband and cellphone service — because how can a small business compete on a worldwide marketplace if they don’t have reliable internet?”
On maintaining Social Security: “It’s a promise that people have paid into, and we need to make sure it is defended,” Torres Small said. “As a member of Congress, I will stay vigilant — I will make sure I don’t rob Social Security.”
[…]
NY-11 | Rose Hosts Veterans Roundtable to Discuss Veteran Suicides, Local Needs
Staff | Kings County Politics
[…]
Tuesday’s meeting focused on Rose’s new legislation to address the troubling trend of veterans dying by suicide on Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) campuses, issues surrounding transportation to the VA, and ensuring critical services like Post Traumatic Stress groups and treatment are preserved and not threatened by privatization efforts.
Rose’s legislation, FIGHT Veterans Suicide Act, is a key effort in response to recent tragedies of veterans committing suicide on VA campuses. Congress has found that VA is not always forthcoming with timely information around these events. Having key data points which this legislation requires from VA would help Congress fully understand the scope of this crisis to better serve veterans in need. Within a span of just five days this month, it’s been reported that three veterans have committed suicide at VA facilities.
“We have so much work to do to address the tragedy of veteran suicide, including making sure Congress gets critical information from the VA. But we also need to make sure crucial services aren’t cut back and scaled down in a form of de facto privatization, especially when it comes to treatment and support for those with Post Traumatic Stress,” said Rose.
NY-19 | Delgado Plan Would Help Hold Companies Accountable for Contamination
Staff | Spectrum News
The water contamination crisis was the focus of a town hall put on Monday night by Rep. Antonio Delgado.
The Democratic congressman centered on the environmental challenges in the Hoosick Falls area.
In recent years, the village has dealt with its fair share of environmental issues. It was discovered that St. Gobain and Honeywell released PFOA and PFOS, contaminating the drinking water in Hoosick Falls, and leading to concerns of increased cancer risk.
[…]
Delgado said it’s up to the companies to be accountable and clean up the chemicals in a quick and timely manner. He added that he is working on legislation that would list PFOS as a hazardous chemical.
NY-22 | Brindisi visits McGraw for another town hall
Staff | WIVT/WBGH
Brindisi talked with and took questions from seniors at the McGraw Community Building.
One of the topics was prescription drug costs.
[…]
He says a couple of ways costs could be lowered is by making it easier for generic drugs to get to market and allowing Medicare to negotiate with the drug companies.
OK-05 |
Rep. Kendra Horn On First 100 Days In Congress
Alex Cameron | News9
[…]
“It’s my job right now to ensure that we are working for everybody, regardless of party, regardless of background,” Rep. Horn explained in an interview Friday. “We’re going to show up and serve, and make sure that we’re listening to the concerns of Oklahomans.”
Horn says that’s exactly what she’s been doing: she says she’s taken more than 200 meetings since being sworn in in January and had an open house at her Oklahoma City office this week.
She says she’s co-authored several bipartisan bills and is proud to have voted for legislation such as the Paycheck Fairness Act and Violence Against Women Act.
Horn is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and as such says she is helping address the problem of substandard base housing. She led a delegation from the Committee on a tour of Tinker Air Force Base earlier this week.
[…]
PA-08 | Cartwright: Diplomacy, foreign assistance crucial to economy, security
Bill O’Boyle | Wilkes-Barre Times Leader
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright Wednesday told more than 100 Scranton area political, business, and community leaders that for Pennsylvania to succeed, America must invest in its role as a global leader — and that starts with American diplomacy and development programs.
“With over a million jobs in Pennsylvania tied directly to exports, investments in our civilian programs overseas are critical to securing our economic future here in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Cartwright, D-Moosic, in an emailed news release. “As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I fully support giving our nation’s diplomats and development workers the tools they need to open new markets for our goods, build critical partnerships, and stop conflicts before they happen, keeping our men and women in uniform out of harm’s way.”
SC-01 | WCSC-TV Charleston: Rep. Joe Cunningham holds town hall meeting in the Lowcountry
Staff | WCSC-TV
Rep. Joe Cunningham will head back to Washington with feedback from folks here in the Lowcountry.
The congressman hosted a town hall event Tuesday night.
It touched on things like healthcare, infrastructure and national debt. Cunningham said he hosts these kind of events to stay accessible to people.
“Just to stay in contact with them, make sure that they know that we’re doing our best to represent them up in D.C., Democrats, Republicans,” Cunningham said. “A lot of these issues which you heard tonight, we’re all in this together.”
VA-07 | Spanberger discusses healthcare, gun control, climate at Henrico town hall
Cassie Coughlan | Henrico Citizen
It was her first town hall in Henrico and her fourth in the Seventh Congressional District since she took office earlier this year. Discussions ranged from healthcare to the minimum wage to immigration, as local citizens aired their opinions and inquiries.
A constituent who said he was a 15-year resident of the district, expressed displeasure with high federal taxes, high healthcare premiums, the integrity of government as an institution and the question of presidential impeachment.
In response, Spanberger spoke about her disapproval of the 2017 tax bill and the difficult choice many people face between putting food on the table and paying for doctors’ visits. She stated emphatically her opposition to using federal workers’ salaries as a negotiating tool.
WA-08 | Congresswoman Kim Schrier updates constituents at Auburn town hall
Vicki Bates | Auburn Examiner
Schrier provided a brief report on her top priorities, then fielded questions from the audience as moderated by Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus.
Schrier ran her campaign committed to getting special interest money out of politics. She was proud to share the House’s passage of HR1, “Giving control of the country to the people,” – exposing major donors, making it easier to vote, and ending gerrymandering.
[…]
As the only women physician in Congress and a diabetic, Schrier conveyed her deep commitment to shoring up the Affordable Care Act and capping family’s healthcare costs at 8.5% of their income. Co-chair of the New Democrat’s Healthcare Taskforce, she is also investigating prescription drug costs, with a personal connection to the rising cost of insulin in our country.
With a special eye toward the eastern side of her district, Schrier spoke to her service on the Agriculture Committee through which she is growing her understanding of farmer to farmer problem solving to both increase bounty and address climate change. She related she’d also been leveraging her experience as a physician to help Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue understand that food should not be conditional for SNAP recipients.
[…]
An appreciative audience asked questions on a range of issues.