Officials talk about their concerns on visit to D.C.
In what was repeatedly described as “an interesting experience,” Montgomery County Commissioners Val Arkoosh and Ken Lawrence visited the White House recently. During their stay, they met with top government officials, including counselor to President Donald Trump Kellyanne Conway, and discussed policy concerns such as the opioid epidemic and funding for public transportation projects.
The two Democrats were the only commissioners from the three-person governing body able to make it to Washington, D.C., as Republican Commissioner Joe Gale had family obligations that conflicted with the invitation. Gale’s executive administrator, Matthew Suplicki, attended on his behalf and provided updates on the visit.
Arkoosh and Lawrence joined county commissioners from across Pennsylvania, and met with representatives from 12 cabinet-level department representatives within the Trump administration.
“It was a very interesting day,” Arkoosh said.
For Arkoosh and Lawrence, agreeing to the invitation was about putting aside politics to do what was best for their constituents, they said.
“It’s certainly nationally been a time of fairly hyperpartisanship, but as you heard me say many times, I know that governing is the most important thing that we do,” Arkoosh said at Thursday’s commissioner’s meeting. “And so in that spirit, I together with Commissioner Lawrence, accepted an invitation from the White House last week.”
The group also met with James D. Schultz, a top Philadelphia lawyer who was chief counsel in the Corbett administration, and is now senior associate counsel and special assistant to the president.
“We heard from Rick Dearborn, who is the deputy White House chief of staff for legislative and intergovernmental affairs (and implementation), and we also heard from Kellyanne Conway. So it was a pretty interesting day. I was very honored to be able to
represent the citizens and our constituents here in Montgomery County.”
Arkoosh commented on two issues during the visit, she said. She first expressed her concern the proposed budget from the president had cut some funding for public transportation projects.
“I was able to convey that to the representative from the department of transportation,” she said. “And I had a couple exchanges, one with Mr. Dearborn and one with Ms. Conway about the opioid epidemic and particularly the impact of those cuts to Medicaid. That may actually be done with now. It’s not clear. But if the medicaid program does get cut, 175,000 Pennsylvanians
who receive access to substance use disorder treatment could lose that because they get that through the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Another part of that 175,000 get that access through insurance plans that they buy through the Affordable Care Act market place. So I expressed those concerns as well as some other messaging concerns around the opioid epidemic.”
Overall, Arkoosh said she was very honored to have the opportunity to visit.
“It was a really interesting afternoon,” she said. “I just wanted to share with all of you that we’re down there representing our county with every single opportunity that we have.”