Rich Discussion of Many Issues at Town Halls

 — by U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen —

I recently held a series of town hall meetings with constituents across the Second Congressional District to answer questions and update people about my work in Congress. I want to share some of what I heard, as well as respond to a piece in Orcas Issues about my Coupeville town hall on March 31 (“Congressman Rick Larsen’s Proposals Criticized as “Non-­Solutions,” from April 11).

By my count, I took 19 questions at the town hall in Coupeville. These questions included six about noise from Growlers stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. The jet noise issue is an important one, but it did not make up the majority of the questions I received. Residents of Whidbey Island are interested in many other issues. At the four other town hall meetings I held, I received only one other question about jet noise, from an attendee in Skagit County.

The one issue that came up at all five of my recent town halls was trade, an important subject and a conversation I am glad I got to have with constituents across Northwest Washington. I got questions about Trade Promotion Authority, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and what these proposals mean for Washington state. Because of the volume of questions I got about trade and for people who were unable to attend a town hall, I have posted some answers to frequently asked questions on my website: https://larsen.house.gov/trade-frequently-asked-questions.

People also asked about a variety of other issues, such as renewable energy. Our country needs a rational, national energy policy that creates and keeps clean energy jobs within the U.S. I am working to help our country reduce its dependence on foreign oil and become more energy-efficient while also making sure Northwest Washington can be a leader in generating clean energy jobs.

I also heard about the importance of Social Security and ensuring its long-term sustainability. That is why I support preserving Social Security for the future by scrapping the cap on income subject to Social Security taxes.

One other issue that I will mention here that I heard questions about is the minimum wage. I support raising the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and tying future increases to inflation. Washington state has a minimum wage that is the envy of many, but it is unacceptable that people working full-time in our country still live below the poverty line. Raising the minimum wage would put money in the pockets of Americans who are working hard to provide for their families and escape poverty.

Hearing directly from residents of the Second Congressional District about your questions and concerns is important to me. I appreciate those who took the time to attend my town halls as I know schedules are busy. If you would like more information about the work I am doing in Congress, you can contact me on my website (www.larsen.house.gov), or leave me a message on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RepRickLarsen) or Twitter (@RepRickLarsen).