Pramila Jayapal spoke to a large crowd and answered questions at Town Hall event in Lake Forest Park

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal at Town Hall in LFP
Photo by Mike Remarcke

By Mike Remarcke

This week Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal stopped by the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park area of her district, Washington’s 7th Congressional District, for a town hall meeting. There were approximately 125 folks in attendance eager to meet the Congresswoman who is chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and serves on both the Judiciary Committee and the Budget Committee.

Although Jayapal is running again for Congress, this was not a campaign stop but a true town hall open forum gathering. Congresswoman Jayapal started the program with a 15 minute overview of the progressive actions in Washington DC under President Biden. 

She was delighted to talk about the various progressive acts that Biden, along with a Democratic Senate and a House, passed to uplift the lives of Americans. 

The Child Tax credit reduced childhood hunger, the aid to folks during the pandemic helped many get by during that difficult time, the Chips & Science Act brought high tech jobs and chip manufacturing back to America, and investments in our infrastructure are making our roads, bridges and water supply safer. 

Jayapal applauded the many actions of a Congress controlled by Democrats, working with Republicans, to enhance lives throughout America. She was less optimistic about the current Congress where Republicans vote against most actions. Jayapal noted that of the 35 bills passed through the House, many were about changing the names of Post Office Buildings.

An animated congresswoman answered questions from the audience
Photo by Mike Remarcke

Congresswoman Jayapal spoke about the amount of federal dollars that are flowing into Washington State, nearly $10 billion so far, to enhance the well-being of Washington citizens. Further, an influx of $20 million into the 7th District is currently being used for a variety of projects in housing, food bank funding and emergency family shelters.

One story she told stood out. The Congresswoman was recently hailed in Europe as the “radical progressive of America.” She explained that she was simply for free health care, free college education and parental leave. How radical is that? It is the norm in Europe!

For the last two thirds of the meeting, the mic was open to the public and people lined up to ask their questions:

On Health Care: Pramila replied that they are striving to grow Obama Care and have been successful in reducing the price of several prescriptions, with more reductions to come. Insulin is now more affordable.

On Student Loans: She responded by saying they are doing the best they can. One tenth of student loans have been reduced, but it is a struggle. The goal now is to reduce the interest rates on these loans so folks can focus on the actual debt and not the staggering interest costs. The federal government makes a profit on student loan interest rates!

On The National Debt: Jayapal was at her best on this question. As a former Wall Street analyst and current member of the Budget Committee, she is well versed in Econ 101. The major issue is the tax breaks given to corporate America and the ultra-wealthy by President Trump. She said we need more revenue but we also need to reduce spending. The Congresswoman is appalled by our defense budget and the fact that a fiscal audit on our country’s largest single budget item has never passed. Regarding inflation, just like at home, it affects national spending. Jayapal stressed that we need to get control of this mess.

On Citizens United: Jayapal wants to reduce the impact of wealthy corporations and individuals who can easily buy and sell politicians. She wants to have some control over SCOTUS and would support adding judges to the Supreme Court. She spoke of her sister running for office in Oregon who was leading in the polls for weeks before the election until out-of-state corporate money poured in to support her opponent and led to her defeat.

On Palestine: On this issue, Jayapal is heartbroken about the deaths and carnage of Gaza and the citizens of Gaza. She defended Israel’s right to protect itself, but feels that this war is too overreaching and killing too many civilians. She is against the US giving any offensive weapons to Israel.

The afternoon ended with a standing ovation for Congresswoman Jayapal; she seemed to align closely to those attending this town hall. Attendees greatly appreciated her time and effort to reach out and listen to their concerns. Support for Jayapal in her District runs around 80+%. She represents her District very well.