Tone remains cordial at Lucas town hall meetings

STILLWATER — Many in Congress have been avoiding town hall meetings, which have become increasingly confrontational since November, but U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas faced mostly cordial crowds in his two stops on Wednesday.

Lucas often highlighted his differences with the Trump administration during his discussions with constituents — positioning himself as a more traditional, moderate Republican.

The first meeting was in Perry, population 5,000. The second was in Stillwater, which has about 50,000 residents and is home to Oklahoma State University — Lucas’ alma mater.

President Donald Trump decisively won both Noble County, where Perry is located, and Payne County, the location of Stillwater, with 76 percent and 70 percent of the vote, respectively.

On many issues, Lucas and the town hall attendees voiced agreement with decisions made by the Trump administration: tax code reform, increased defense spending, the repeal and replacement of The Affordable Care Act, revocation of federal funds for sanctuary cities and financial deregulation.

Lucas, though, did not support Trump in the primaries and distanced himself from the President repeatedly.

In both meetings, Lucas remarked that the president spent “too much time on his phone.”

He also gave a lukewarm reaction to Trump’s foreign policy moves.

“I will confess to you that the president has been consistent in his domestic policies,” Lucas said, as he spoke in the Heritage Center in Perry. “But the place that I think his policy is evolving, where I watch very carefully, and maybe his actions since he’s been elected differed from what he said in the fall, is his foreign policy.”

Most questions raised in the meetings revolved around recent moves made by the Trump administration. Many centered on the Trump administration’s budget, which was released a few weeks ago.

In both Perry and Stillwater, constituents raised concerns about proposed 20.5 percent cuts to the Department of Agriculture — more specifically cuts to farm insurance, which protects farmers in cases of low yield or disaster, and helps with conservation.

Lucas, who is the chairman of the House Agriculture committee, was instrumental in passing the 2014 farm bill that provided these subsidies. He told constituents that the cuts would not likely make it into the final budget.

“You just can’t defund crop insurance,” said Lucas.

Other questions about Trump’s budget were answered in a similar manner. For example, when a Stillwater middle school teacher expressed concern about the 13.5 percent cut to the Department of Education, Lucas’ response was: The cuts should not make it into the final bill.

Lucas also stood apart from Trump by giving a strong defense of trade agreements and the importance to Oklahoma of exporting, saying that the state relies on exporting its agricultural products and energy.

Terry Martindale, a retired United Methodist minister, brought up his frustration with Trump’s bombastic style and frequent use of Twitter, saying it was a degradation of civil discourse. Lucas did not come to his defense.

“His style is different from my style, different from your style,” said Lucas. “Look, in this election 90 percent of your neighbors voted not for somebody, but against somebody,” Lucas said.

The town hall meetings came during a weeklong recess for House members. The legislative body reconvenes next week.