U.S. Rep. Greg Walden will hold town hall meetings during the congressional spring break next week in Hood River and The Dalles, two of six public forums during April in his Second Congressional District.
The first gorge town hall on April 12 will be 11 a.m. to noon at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center assembly hall, 402 E. Scenic Drive.
Walden’s second appearance next Wednesday takes place from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Hood River Middle School Auditorium, 1602 May Street.
On Thursday and Friday, he will meet with constituents in Crook, Deschutes, Jackson and Josephine counties.
“I’ve been proud to hold regular town hall meetings in all 20 counties in our vast district. They are another great way for me to update my ‘to-do’ list to take back to the nation’s capital,” said Walden in an April 4 press release.
“While Congress and the country face major issues like growing the economy and fixing the health care system, I’m also working on finding solutions for local problems in our communities. Growing jobs in Oregon, finding common-sense health care solutions, better managing our public lands, and taking care of our veterans remain some of my top priorities.”
By April 14, Walden said he will have held 13 town halls in 2017. Each year, he has promised to hold at least one town hall meeting in all 20 counties of his district.
In 2016, he held 27 and has held 137 since 2012.
Walden pointed out in his press release that a recent analysis by The Hill, a national political website, found that he held more in-person town hall in February than all but two other members of the U.S. House and Senate.
In February, he held seven town halls, meeting with constituents in Umatilla, Grant, Morrow, Wheeler, Ontario and Gilliam counties.
Walden is the only Republican in Oregon’s congressional delegation.
After the Republican takeover of the White House and both chambers of Congress in November, Walden was appointed to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which plays a major role in health care reform and changes to environmental policies.
Since that appointment, Walden has come under attack by Democrats and other opponents of the GOP’s stated intent to “repeal and replace Obamacare.”
Constituents have demanded that he appear at town hall meetings to hear their concerns and have criticized him in numerous letters to the editor that were published in The Dalles Chronicle and Hood River News for not being responsive to their complaints and inquiries.
Two weeks ago, the initial GOP proposal to restructure health care was withdrawn by House Speaker Paul Ryan due to disagreement between different factions of the Republican Party about its scope and content.
Congressional Republicans and Vice President Mike Pence are now in meetings to resurrect the House health care bill.
According to Associated Press reports, Pence and other top administration officials are offering in the revised proposal to let states request federal exemptions from insurance coverage requirements imposed by President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
Participants to those meetings say differences remain over giving states flexibility to drop those mandates.
Meetings continued today.
Walden invites Oregonians who cannot attend his scheduled town halls in April to ask questions or provide input on his website, www.walden.house.gov.
He said his views on local, regional and national issues are posted on the site.
People wanting to comment can send him an email, and can also sign up to receive a copy of his free newsletter.
Second District residents can also sign up for telephone town hall meetings through Walden’s website.
Constituents can also follow Walden on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to learn more about his work around southern, central and eastern Oregon.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.