The Newberg Graphic - Rep, Senator Hold Town Hall
News Article
By Colin Staub
Two members of Oregon's congressional delegation paid a visit to Newberg last week, providing constituents an update on their work in the nation's capital.
Sen. Jeff Merkley and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici summarized projects they are working on and took questions and concerns from those in the audience during the town hall event April 1 at Portland Community College's Newberg campus.
After Mayor Bob Andrews introduced the senator and congresswoman, Merkley began by honoring a local business.
"At the start of each town hall I like to honor some group that's doing something that strengthens the community, makes it stronger, perhaps serves as an example to other communities," Merkley said, inviting Joni George, vice president of human resources for Climax Portable Machining & Welding Systems, to accept an award recognizing the company's internship program.
"(Interns) engage in classes that include soft and hard business skills, community service and they take on real-world projects, and this is exactly the type of training that helps people figure out what they want to do in life and it also helps develop the skills to do it well and thereby be able to secure a good-paying job," Merkley said, presenting Climax with an American flag that had flown over the United States capitol building.
Merkley identified some of the issues Congress is working on, citing the Keystone Pipeline, homeland security, a potential authorization of the use of military force in Syria as well as Supreme Court case King v. Burwell that could undo healthcare for millions of Americans.
He gave particular attention to the budget bill that recently went through the House and Senate and contains significant cuts to Medicare, food stamps, the Head Start program and Pell grants.
Questions for the elected officials involved student loan debt, immigration, a bill that could defund student pilot training programs, campaign spending, the condition of a United States post office in Newberg as well as a controversial trade agreement and Sen. Ron Wyden's role in supporting its fast-track legislation.
"I'm asking you to buck a major part of your party and that's in the fast-track of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and any other trade deal that's going to do the same thing NAFTA and other trade deals have done to our economy," one audience member said, receiving applause from other attendees.
Merkley and Bonamici noted that the fast-tracking of the TPP is a topic that comes up more at their town halls than any other issue.
"I certainly have a lot of concern about transparency, because right now we don't know all the details," Merkley said, with he and Bonamici both explaining they would not vote on a bill they were unable to read before making the decision.
"(People are) really worried that jobs will be shipped overseas, people are concerned about that looking back at history," Bonamici said. "But I also have to say, I have frequent conversations with people here who will grow their businesses if this is done right. This is a district that exports significantly, especially in the agricultural sector and high-tech."
She highlighted that they would be looking to make sure the agreement would be enforceable and would not lower environmental and labor standards.
Several audience members who spoke were student veterans at PCC and gave testimony on a bill introduced in the House that could remove opportunities for future student veterans.
"The G.I. bill has given me the opportunity to have a career, but now that opportunity is about to be taken away," a student veteran explained to the legislators, describing how House Resolution 476, introduced Jan. 22 by Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, could defund student pilot training programs. While neither Merkley nor Bonamici were aware of the bill, they said they would look into it.
The Newberg town hall is one of several recent stops Merkley and Bonamici have made throughout Oregon, others taking place in Astoria, Vernonia, Hood River and The Dalles.
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