District 1 Congressman Tom O’Halleran held a community meet and greet at the Silver Creek Senior Center on Feb. 22.
Over two dozen community members were on hand at the senior center to submit questions and voice concerns that relate to northeastern Arizona. The questions were on a variety of topics such as the Second Amendment, abortion, the economy and illegal immigration to name a few.
With the recent school shooting in Florida the Second Amendment was a hot topic of concern. This issue is especially important to residents of rural areas such as Navajo County because some residents live in remote areas where the law enforcement response time can be as much as 45 minutes. Community members voiced concerns that they need the ability to protect themselves and gun control laws could affect that ability.
When asked about the Second Amendment O’Halleran said, “I support the Second Amendment. Obviously, Congress is going to go through a whole list of issues as we go back next week.” O’Halleran did indicate there would likely be bills on assault weapons, the age of people who can purchase firearms and reporting standards for States. “I can’t tell you yet what those bills are going to look like,” said O’Halleran.
Another topic of concern, as voiced by the residents in attendance, was O’Halleran’s stance on abortion including late term abortion. When O’Halleran was in the legislature he voted against late term abortion. Late term abortions are abortions performed after 20 weeks of gestation. O’Halleran went on to say, “I am pro-choice.” Pro-choice indicates that he believes in a woman’s right to choose to terminate a pregnancy.
Eastern Arizona has been slow to recover economically. O’Halleran was asked, “What are the leaders in Washington, D.C., doing to help the situation?” O’Halleran is the chair of the Blue Dog Coalition. The Blue Dog Coalition is a caucus of United States Congressional Representatives from the Democratic Party who identify as conservative Democrats. That caucus is working to identify funds that can be used for infrastructure improvements and economic developments throughout rural America including Arizona.
One infrastructure problem that the Congressman indicated must be dealt with first is improvements to broadband Internet services in rural areas. “We cannot get competitive for businesses unless we find a way to address that issue. Major businesses are not going to move somewhere that doesn’t have the capacity for them to communicate with the rest of the world.” There are proposed bills in the future to help fund this area of concern.
Another problem that inhibits economic growth in rural areas such as Navajo County is the lack of a skilled workforce. The Congressman is working to get increased funding for community colleges to help provide workers with marketable skills.
The politically charged topics of illegal immigration and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was also on the list of questions submitted to O’Halleran. DACA is an immigration policy that allowed some individuals who entered the United States as minors and had either entered or remained in the country illegally, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation. DACA also allows them to be eligible for a work permit. Plans to begin phasing out DACA were initiated by the Trump administration in September of 2017. There is still uncertainty how that will impact those affected by DACA.
When asked about DACA O’Halleran said, “They are either going to get a path to citizenship after about 12 years or they are going to be here as permanent residents. Eighty percent of Congress feels that way.” The variable is that there may not be a bill that addresses DACA alone. It may be combined with measures to secure the border. “We need a more secure border,” said O’Halleran.
This was not the only opportunity for community members to reach out to the Congressman. O’Halleran has representatives that are available monthly all over the White Mountains. In towns such as Springerville, St. Johns, Snowflake, Winslow and Show Low, residents can meet with O’Halleran staff to voice concerns and ask questions. For more information visit www.ohalleran.house.gov.
O’Halleran represents the first district of Arizona and is a member of the Democratic Party.
