By Ginni Spencer
Some 50 residents gathered in the Multipurpose Room at Town Hall on October 20 to meet with Congressman Seth Moulton, to discuss issues, and to ask questions. Moulton has committed to hold at least one such event in all 39 towns and cities of the Sixth District in an effort to foster communication between his office and local constituents.
Keeping his remarks brief in order to allow the most time for Q and A, Moulton stressed the importance of constituent feedback through local meetings, phone calls, email, and social media. “We need to know the good and the bad,” he said.
Moulton sits on three House Committees: Armed Services, Small Business, and Budget. Membership on the Armed Services Committee allows him to offer his perspective and knowledge gained from four deployments to Iraq as a Marine. Recently, he discussed his plan for a long-term strategy for Iraq with President Obama [Click to view the press release from Congressman Moulton’s office.] Domestically, his focus is on veterans’ issues, particularly health care, and the needs of small businesses. At the district level, he stresses economic development and told of creating a new position on his staff for Economic Development Director. The position is held by Jason Denencourt.
Questions from those attending reflected concerns on various topics including climate change, the lack of bi-partisan co-operation, inadequate funding and attention on transportation and infrastructure, and appropriate labeling of foods containing GMOs.
Moulton described climate change as a serious threat to the economy, public safety, and national security and felt that Congress has been slow to respond and needs to show more leadership in this area.
Bi-partisan problem solving and working effectively across the aisle has suffered, Moulton felt, from the fact that many Congressmen do not live in Washington as was once more often the case. This cuts down on opportunities to build relationships that allow for informal discussion and sharing of ideas. That said, he recently partnered with a Republican from Oklahoma – a fellow veteran – on the strategy report on Iraq sent to President Obama. Moulton is a member of the Bi-Partisan Working Group in the House, a Congressional caucus for which he will serve as Vice-Chair next year.
With respect to transportation and infrastructure, Moulton expressed frustration with the lack of focus in Congress on these challenges. He pointed out that China has added over 82,000 miles of high speed rail in the last 15years, and the US is falling behind. Bi-partisan funding has been lacking, along with a less than optimal analysis of how best to spend what dollars are available. Moulton said he believes that innovative alternatives to get more cars off the highway are critical.Locally, he affirmed that options such as the high-speed rail link between North and South Stations need to be aggressively explored.
One questioner expressed disappointment that recent legislation about label information on foods containing GMOs called for QR codes (computer codes) rather than words spelling out the content. Moulton agreed, but said that he ultimately signed the proposed legislation as he believes it to be at least “a step in the right direction” of keeping consumers informed about what is in the food they are eating.
Before closing the meeting, Moulton again encouraged people to reach out to him and his office with their concerns, questions, and requests for help dealing with other Federal agencies when action gets stalled.
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