Cicilline talks politics at Cumberland ‘conversation’
“What (voters) heard from Donald Trump is, ‘I’m going to bring your jobs back.’ That’s absurd; that’s not going to happen.” — Congressman David Cicilline, who was on hand at Cumberland High School Saturday for a ‘Community Conversation’
CUMBERLAND — As more than 75 people sat in a circle at Cumberland High School with Congressman David Cicilline on Saturday afternoon, the topic of a civil conversation turned from the investigation into Russian interference in the election to health care to the nomination of Neil Gorsuch for the vacant Supreme Court seat.
The representative of Rhode Island's 1st congressional district also took some time to muse on where the Democrats went wrong in the election last year.
“I think Democrats missed the serious economic hardship that many people in America were feeling and didn't have a serious economic message,” Cicilline said. He went on to say, “What they heard from Donald Trump is, ' I'm going to bring your jobs back.'”
The congressman noted, “That's absurd; that's not going to happen,” but that Trump's messaging spoke to people who were desperate to be heard. The irony, he asserted, is that the districts that voted heavily for Trump are the ones who will be most hurt by the steps he's taken.
This rumination came in response to a question from Katya Ginzburg-Bram about the odds of Democrats
retaking the House or the Senate in 2018, though Cicilline noted he's not allowed to do much of a political analysis.
Cicilline held a “Community Conversation” last weekend in Pawtucket, and he's holding others in Barrington, on April 11, and Portsmouth, on April 22. In attendance at Saturday's event were Mayor Bill Murray; representatives Mia Ackerman, Bob Phillips and Alex Marszalkowski; Town Council members Tom Kane and Jim Metivier; and School Committee member Mark Fiorillo.
Cicilline kicked off the conversation by touching on the Affordable Care Act, the Russian investigation and the president's budget.
Attendee Annemarie Ferreira asked if the Affordable Care Act would be fixed and stated that it is in a downward spiral, a point Cicilline rejected.
“I'm glad that it's dead,” Ferreira said of the replacement plan, “but I don't want it to just stay where it is, because it's very expensive for some of us.”
Later in the conversation, Ferreira commented that friends who need EpiPens must pay $600 and asked if Congress is doing anything to control pharmaceutical costs.
While agreeing that the system is “totally rigged,” Cicilline responded that “the good news is: President Trump talked about this in his campaign, we gotta do something about prescription drug prices.”
This tied into another question: Do the Democrats in Congress have a plan for working with Trump?
Cicilline noted that while people should be willing to stand up and resist, Democrats “fundamentally believe in the ability of government to do things and change people's lives,” and if given the opportunity, they will come forward with ideas to improve the Affordable Care Act.
The hour-and-a-half-long gathering also turned to education, with one woman asking for Cicilline's thoughts on Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
After talking about the importance of access to postsecondary education and touting his proposal to eliminate interest on student loans, Cicilline answered her question by stating, to laughter, “I think of all the cabinet officials that this president has appointed, this is by far the most unqualified, and that's really saying something.”
Cumberland School Committee member Mark Fiorillo asked the congressman about funding for free or reduced breakfast and lunch, along with funding for special education, and Cicilline replied that the future is uncertain.
Lincoln High School junior Mary Lind asked, “What can you do to ensure the safety of gay students in public schools?”
Cicilline said he will fight if the Trump Administration tries to remove protections, but reassured Lind that there are a number of protections in Rhode Island.
Asked if he thinks Neil Gorsuch will be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice, Cicilline said his sense is that the Democrats in the Senate will filibuster, Republicans will change the rules so that the Gorsuch doesn't need 60 votes, and Gorsuch will be confirmed.
Throughout the conversation, Cicilline noted a few things with bipartisan support. His Made in America Manufacturing Communities Act and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's companion bill in the Senate each have Republican cosponsors. Cicilline also cited Republican senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain for calling for an independent investigation of Russia's interference in the elections. But on other issues, Cicilline's attitude was that some things won't change so long as Republicans control the House and the Senate.
Attendees also asked questions about medical research funding, medical marijuana and support for businesses fighting climate change.