No ‘squad’ for Trahan – just hard work
Lori Trahan and Ayanna Pressley, the state’s two new female members of Congress, may be different people but they do have some things in common.
Both are freshmen, progressive Democrats elected to the U.S. House in 2018, Trahan from the Lowellbased, largely suburban 3rd Congressional District, and Pressley from urban Boston’s 7th Congressional District.
Both are former Congressional staffers, Trahan for former Rep. Marty Meehan and Pressley for former Sen. John Kerry. Both are 45 years old, married and have children, and are not shy about speaking out on issues. Trahan is of Portuguese descent and Pressley is a woman of color. They both voted to make Nancy Pelosi speaker.
Both went down to the Texas-Mexico border last week to view illegal immigrant detention centers run by Customs and Border Protection, and both were appalled by what they saw.
Pressley said the migrants were treated worse than dogs.
The difference between the two is that Trahan voted in favor of the $4.5 billion humanitarian immigration aid bill that Pelosi pushed through the House, and Pressley voted against it.
“I took a vote that is consistent and in keeping with the district that I represent,” Pressley said, which makes as much sense as saying you’re cutting off your nose to help your face.
When Trahan got back, she filed a bill requiring the immediate reporting to Congress each time a migrant dies in federal custody so timely hearings can be held. It will probably go nowhere, but at least she took some action,
Which raises the question about how can you be critical of Trump’s migrant border policy when you vote against helping the migrants? Or don’t do anything about it but talk?
In voting against migrant aid, Pressley joined the three other dissenting freshman women — now known as the “squad” — who voted against the bill.
The other three, all progressive women of color, are Reps. Alexandria OcasioCortez of New York, the squad leader, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
The four are in favor of impeaching “racist” Trump today while Trahan supports Pelosi’s slower impeachment policy.
The squad found itself in a Twitter war not only with Pelosi, but with President Trump as well. Things have gotten so weird that while AOC accused Pelosi of racism, Pressley accused the president of being a racist too at the squad’s Monday press conference.
Also weird is that Trump, by attacking the squad, apparently thought he was coming to Pelosi’s defense, but Pelosi then dumped on Trump by accusing him of trying to make America “white again.”
This all came about after Pelosi demeaned the squad after they voted against the aid bill. She said there were just “four people and that’s how many votes they got.” Now Pelosi is defending the four and condemning Trump.
While Pressley is now attracting national attention, Trahan is wise enough to distance herself from the squad. She knows that you cannot get anything done for your district if you are attacking both the Democratic leader of the House and calling the president a racist.
While she is concerned with immigration, Trahan said, “I want the people in the district to know that I am in this for them. I know that my job is here, in the district,” she said.
Trahan, in an interview, listed a number of district accomplishments, like securing $90 million for the EPA’s Merrimack sewer overflow control program that helps communities like Lawrence, Lowell and Haverhill; work on facilitating safety and claims from the Merrimack Valley gas explosion; her support of federal funding for programs that impact district companies like New Balance and American Superconductor.
Trahan scoffed at murmurs of discontent from some conservative Democrats in Lowell about her border visit, a visit that was well received in the more progressive parts of the district, like Acton and Concord.
“It is something you had to see for yourself,” she said.
The border visit also helps in raising campaign money and in securing her progressive base in the event she is challenged for re-election by Andover Selectman Dan Koh, a fellow progressive.
Trahan defeated Koh in the 2018 Democrat primary following a recount.
Koh recently was critical of Trahan for not supporting the immediate impeachment of Trump rather than sticking with Pelosi ‘s more measured approach.
Asked about a potential Koh candidacy, Trahan shrugged. “I’ll just continue to do my job.”