Cotton tackles constituents’ questions in ‘ teletown hall.’

WASHINGTON — Before attending President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress, U. S. Sen. Tom Cotton spoke Tuesday evening to thousands of constituents via telephone, fielding questions and explaining his stand on issues ranging from federal minimum wages to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

After making a brief statement, the Republican from Dardanelle fielded questions from across Arkansas. By the time he wrapped up the “teletown hall” nearly 45 minutes later, there were nearly 16,000 people participating.

Some of the participants had contacted Cotton’s office requesting the chance to participate. Others were invited via social media and could listen on their smartphone or computer.

Thousands of others received phone calls Tuesday evening inviting them to stay on the line and listen in.

Cotton was the latest Arkansas politician to hold a teletownhall conference in recent days. U. S. Rep. French Hill, a Republican from Little Rock, and U. S. Sen. John Boozman, a Republican from Rogers, also fielded phone questions last month.

Unlike Cotton’s raucous Springdale town hall- style meeting one week ago, things were calmer and quieter on Tuesday, though many of the callers expressed concerns about policies backed by Trump or the Republican majority in Congress.

An initial caller raised concerns about Betsy DeVos, the new secretary of education, who was opposed by Democrats as well as two Republican U. S. senators.

Cotton defended the Cabinet member, saying, “I think Betsy DeVos is going to be good for our kids and their education, in part because she’s going to trust people like you, people like my mother, schoolteachers and administrators in Arkansas.”

Another questioner raised concerns about new Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, who was confirmed despite opposition from Democrats and many environmentalists.

Cotton predicted Pruitt would perform effectively.

“I don’t think Donald Trump or Scott Pruitt wants to dismantle the EPA. I know there’s some talk about eliminating it. That’s certainly not going to happen. But I do think Scott Pruitt is going to refocus the EPA on its fundamental mission, which is clean air and clean water,” the senator said.

Another caller aired concerns about the gap between CEO pay and the wages that typical employees receive, denouncing what she called “trickle- down economics.”

One constituent expressed concerns that Congress would eliminate the Affordable Care Act and make it harder for those with pre- existing conditions to get coverage.

Another caller, 81 years old, complained about the high cost of prescription drugs, telling the senator, “I’m having trouble paying for our medicine.”

Cotton predicted Republicans would fix problems with the Affordable Care Act. “We think we’ve got a better solution,” he said. He also called for shifting to generic drugs.