US Rep. Tim Walberg holds Freedom Township coffee hour
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg held a coffee hour at Freedom Township Hall, Monday, February 10, 2020
Manchester’s US Representative Tim Walberg held a coffee hour Monday morning at Freedom Township Hall. It is his third Manchester coffee hour in a row held in Freedom Township. The coffee hour was announced Sunday morning on his website and by robo-calls and postcards before that to a number of constituents.
One attendee, Kevin from Manchester, asked Representative Walberg why the coffee hour wasn’t better publicized ahead of time. Rep. Walberg answered “Due to security issues, we will not put out information long ahead of time.” Kevin explained that he had heard through the grapevine that there would be a town hall Monday morning and on Friday at 4:45 pm called Walberg’s office and asked his staff to confirm a town hall was happening. After verifying that Kevin did live in the community, the staff was still unable to confirm the town hall was happening and told him to check the website. Rep. Walberg stated that he didn’t know why this happened and suggested maybe it was an intern who answered or the phone service they use.
The stringency with which Rep. Walberg locks down information on when and where his coffee hours and town halls will occur can backfire, as the last Manchester coffee hour held at Freedom Township Hall on April 8th, 2019 was publicized with such short notice only five constituents attended, but has the benefit of keeping the gathering small and allowing everyone present to have the opportunity to have their question asked, as was the case at this event.
After giving an update on bills he is working on, the Great Lakes restoration initiative, the future of the Port of Monroe, impeachment, and taking a swipe at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s values, Rep. Walberg took questions from the audience. Freedom Township treasurer Rudy Layher read the constituent-written questions out loud to the Representative.
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg in Manchester
Rep. Walberg fielded questions on options for federal help for a possible local infrastructure project, his stance on and future support for an anti-euthanasia bill, the wealth of jobs out there that provide a living wage, whether corporate tax cuts were a mistake, and how he is staying up to date on the Coronavirus situation.
Rep. Walberg fielded a question on why the national debt is still increasing and explained that interest levels continue to climb on previous debt and that if the attendees want something to be done about the debt then they need to give the House of Representatives back to Republicans. He also added that reducing spending on food stamps would “encourage people to experience the American Dream.” He stated that bills to reduce spending during the first two years of Trump’s administration, when Republicans controlled both the House and Senate as well as the presidency, died in the senate because although the senate had a majority, it did not have enough Republicans to overcome the threat of a filibuster.
He touched on additional topics including bipartisanship, respect toward law enforcement, the passing of the “new NAFTA,” the rough time the dairy industry has had, the scale of the disaster Nebraska farmers are facing, why he is opposed to sending any more aid to Puerto Rico, why passing a law requiring companies to put lines in the ground instead of on poles is a bad idea, and how to keep Federal money for broadband out of the hands of the County.
If you missed the coffee hour, you can contact U.S. Rep. Walberg with your concerns by calling his DC office at (202) 225-6276 or his Jackson, MI office at (517) 780-9075. You can write to him at his DC office at 2266 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC 20515 or his Jackson office at 401 W. Michigan Ave., Jackson, MI 49201.
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