The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Hayes ‘happy to be home’ at forum
Gun control, the Mueller report among topics
LITCHFIELD — U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., addressed a crowd of more than 300 people at the Litchfield Community Center this week with welcoming words: “I’m so glad to see all of you.”
“I’m so happy to be home,” she said.
The freshman member of Congress and former Waterbury teacher gave the audience an update on her first 75 days in office, reviewing her work on committees and goals she was setting for herself as her term progresses. Hayes is a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and the House Committee on Agriculture.
She also shared what she has learned about serving Congress on a personal level, and talked about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her take on efforts to eliminate antisemitism, fight for veterans rights and civic engagement with her constituents of all ages.
She has become a colleague and friend of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, and said that she, along with other freshmen lawmakers, have tackled the issue of antisemitism by learning to understand each other in small gatherings of their own. According to The Washington Post, Omar raised concerns by making alleged anti-Semitic comments, which led Congress to make a formal condemnation of anti-semitism earlier this month. Hayes said lawmakers across the board are being forced to address the issue by the changing dynamics of members of Congress in Washington.
“Not a single person in Washington has ever said, ‘Antisemitism is OK,” Hayes said. “Myself and others, Jews, Muslims, Christians ... have been meeting in small groups, and we’ve been growing and learning from each other. To be in a room and to ask questions of each other, this is how problems get solved.”
Hayes also talked about movements in some areas of Washington to impeach President Donald Trump.
“Democrats and Republicans have voted to make the Mueller report public,” Hayes said. “The American people have a right to see it.
“I’m not looking for a way to a move to impeach (the president),” she continued. “I believe in voting someone out and voting someone else in, but (people should) see the report.”
Hayes believes that in spite of the divide between Republicans and Democrats in Washington, “we’re better off than we were yesterday,” she said.
Her experience as a teacher, she said, makes her a questioner, not “a shrinking violet.”
“People have told me I should keep a low profile (as a freshman in Congress),” Hayes said. “But I want to ask questions ... I am not guaranteed another term. If I want to know something, I’m going to ask. If I don’t understand something, I’m going to ask.”
Residents asked Hayes a variety of questions. She pledged to stand behind gun reform laws, which drew applause from the audience. Following that line of discussion, Hayes brought up HR231, a bill that, among other things, prohibits using federal money to arm teachers in the classroom. “The money’s for education,” she said. “I cannot stress to you enough how, as an educator, I would not want that responsiblity. the thought of it (having a gun while teaching) causes me so much angst. It’s the same for teachers all over the country.
“Arming teachers is not the answer,” she said.
Jeffrey McBreairty, a resident of New Milford and a longtime member of American Legion Post 31, asked whether Hayes would continue her predecessor Elizabeth Esty’s work on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. “Will you continue to fight for them?” McBreairty said. “Also, with veteran suicides ... happening every day, how do you plan to address that?”
“I’m not on the Veterans Affairs Committee, but let me say that when people bring their concerns to me, I make sure the committee knows about it,” Hayes said. “If there’s anything I can do to make our district better, let me know.”