LACONIA — Constituents at town hall-style forum quizzed U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas on a variety of national issues, from gun violence to the national debt.
About two dozen people turned out Wednesday for the hour-long question-and-answer session held at Lakes Region Community College. It was the third such gathering the freshman Democratic congressman has held in the 1st District this week.
One audience member posed a more local question, asking Pappas what kind of “pro-New Hampshire legislation” he would support.
Pappas responded that he was prepared to work on behalf of federal legislation that would protect New Hampshire companies from having to collect sales taxes for other states when making online or mail-order purchases. He said New Hampshire businesses should not have to bear the burden of collecting out-of-state sales taxes. Federal legislation, he said, “... is one way for us to stand up for the rules of the road in New Hampshire.”
Betsy Kelly of Gilford urged Pappas to take a forceful stand against the Trump administration’s policy of separating immigrant children from their parents at the border. She handed him a letter signed by 32 constituents protesting the practice of migrant child detention, which she said was still continuing despite administration statements to the contrary.
“We need to provide oversight of the administration,” Pappas said in response. He also said he intends to work to bring about a consensus for “common sense” immigration reform.
To one questioner’s call to reduce the national debt, Pappas said he believed one big reason the debt has grown to the tune of $22 trillion is because for too long there has been no long-range planning with regard to budget expenditures. He said that if Congress adopted a two-year budgeting cycle, as New Hampshire does, that would lead to spending decisions which would reduce the debt.
To a question on gun violence, Pappas said he expected some legislation and congressional hearings on the issue during this session. He said he favored universal background checks for all gun purchases, and a ban on all assault-style weapons.
On the issue of skyrocketing prescription drug price, he said he would favor a ban on mass media advertising of prescription drugs, a cap on the price of life-saving drugs, and a more effective process to speed generic drugs to market.
Pappas said his first two months in Congress have taught him that on Capitol Hill “things move very slowly” which he said will be a big adjustment for him. “I’m in the urgency of now,” he said. But he noted, “Change comes from constant engagement.”
(1) comment
3rd gathering this week? Shouldn't he be down in Washington working on these things he wants to do? Is he going to spend his whole 1st term campaigning?
No wonder they can't get anything done.
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