Town hall meeting takes place sans Brady
As lawmaker speaks at CPAC, constituents gather without him
Dozens of constituents in the Southeast Texas congressional district represented by House Ways and Means chairman Kevin Brady held a town hall meeting Saturday, which was not attended by the congressman, though a glossy photograph of him occupied a chair.
About 250 people packed a sixth-floor room at the Conroe Tower for a two-hour meeting without an opportunity to discuss issues with the Republican from The Woodlands, but featured subject-matter experts who educated the crowd on the Affordable Care Act, immigration, education and activism.
The diverse group quickly organized in a week through the Indivisible Guide, an online resource compiled by former congressional staffers, and via progressive Internet meet-up groups. They secured a venue on Tuesday and had an invitation hand-delivered to an aide in the U.S. representative’s office.
Brady spoke Friday afternoon about tax reform at the Conservative Political Action Conference, which was held at a Washington-area convention center.
His office released a statement explaining his absence: “Unfortunately the Congressman cannot attend because of a long-standing invitation to be a keynote speaker at our nation’s biggest gathering of conservative thinkers, CPAC. Due to his additional commitments tied to CPAC, his travel schedule could not be adjusted to accommodate this event to which he was just recently invited. During this
district work week, he has met with a number of constituent groups and traveled to Austin to meet with key Texas leaders.”
Katie Pickard of Montgomery spoke on behalf of her family – which is covered by workplace insurance but has periodic large medical bills because her husband has an incurable, recurring form of cutaneous lymphoma. The 41-year-old said she’s been counseled about “the cap” on lifetime benefits. The Affordable Care Act included a provision that prevents insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions — whether they are covered by marketplace policies or not.
“I am a hardworking citizen who came to Texas because the economy was great. I am active in my church. I am a leader at my business. I’m a good mom. I dedicate my time to my school and I have a right to live out my days without bankruptcy,” Pickard, a software educator, told the crowd to rousing applause. She later said she had hoped to talk to the congressman in person.
Brady has offices in Conroe and Huntsville. He represents the 8th Congressional District, which includes Montgomery, San Jacinto, Grimes, Houston, Madison, Trinity and Walker counties, as well as parts of Harris and Leon counties.
Dr. Carolyn Payne and Dr. Abhishek Dhar, both Baylor College of Medicine physicians, offered information about Brady’s top campaign donors, the Affordable Care Act and updates on new immigration actions by President Donald Trump’s administration. Montgomery County NAACP chairman Carl White fired up the crowd about the importance of activism. Sanctuary surprise
Linda Good, a legal aid lawyer and Lone Star College System trustee who was not speaking on behalf of her employer or the college system, discussed the Trump administration’s impact on education. She lauded Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez for ending his agency’s agreement with federal immigration authorities.
She also discussed the state’s so-called sanctuary cities bill passed by the Texas Senate this month and sent to the House for consideration. She specifically talked about the potential impacts on Texas universities, colleges and schools regarding cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Senate Bill 4 aims to turn even college campus police of- ficers into agents of ICE. It requires compliance with requests to detain individuals for immigration enforcement. It forbids boards of trustees and governing bodies of colleges from adopting policies or from permitting consistent actions that prohibit or discourage campus police officers from cooperating with immigration officers,” she said. “The penalties are daunting. If we violate Senate Bill 4, if it’s passed, the penalties include up to $25,000 a day for continuing violations and members of governing boards who knowingly violate Senate Bill 4 can be subject to criminal prosecution.” People in the room gasped. “These are times that demand that we search our conscience,” Good continued. “If it’s a question between violating a deeply unjust law and protecting one of your neighbors ... what choice will you make? You donated to my re-election campaign. I hope I can count on you to donate to my criminal defense.”
According to Brady’s Twitter feed, he was in the district last week attending private events including a Leadership Montgomery County meeting on Thursday at Memorial Hermann-The Woodlands Hospital where he reportedly discussed tax reform and health care.
On health care reform, the congressman tweeted on Tuesday that “#Obamacare has failed Americans. We will #Repeal and Replace it with a truly patient-centered system.” Face-to-face questions
During an open questionand-answer period, Good picked up Brady’s photo so that people could ask their questions — to his face.
“Kevin,” one man said to the image. “You and your family are not going to go without health insurance. … Why are you willing to allow millions of Americans to go without health insurance when you overturn Obamacare, as you like to call it, and why can’t you replace it first ... before you repeal it?”
Similar town hall events without elected officials happened last week during the Congressional recess, when many representatives and senators return to their districts. On Tuesday, a group held a demonstration outside the downtown Houston high-rise where U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has an office. The Republican later spoke with some of the participants in a private meeting, but he did not attend a town hall organized by the same group that evening.