Bonamici town hall draws crowd in Scappoose

Bonamici said she shares concerns about the first few months of the Trump administration regarding conflicts of interest, Russian influence on the 2016 election, cabinet selections, executive orders, travel bans and promises made without supporting policies.

Speaking on Syria, Bonamici said, “I’m concerned about the president’s approach, which has been erratic and inconsistent.”

She said, “There are requirements … before taking military action, unless we are directly being attacked in our country, the president is supposed to come to Congress for input.”

Asked what she could do stop the defunding of Planned Parenthood, Bonamici responded that she takes every opportunity to speak up for the agency and to vote on its behalf. She noted that Planned Parenthood provides services to men and women, and calling the move to defund it a political effort. She said public health clinics could not take up the slack in the event Planned Parenthood was defunded.

Moving to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and efforts to repeal it, Bonamici said people who are voting for repeal or change need to be called out. She said people who have employer-provided insurance benefit from the ACA, states that expanded Medicaid have benefited, and while it is not perfect, she said she was not interested in the Trump administration’s proposal.

“Not only was it bad policy, it was bad process as well,” she said, referring to the short window of time that was given, just 17 days between introduction and the scheduled vote. In contrast, she said the ACA had many hearings and efforts were made to get input from an assortment of experts while crafting the bill.

“A major change to America’s healthcare system with no hearings and no input.” Bonamici said. She added that she supports a single-payer system.

The question of Congressional approval for military actions was raised, and Bonamici said President Donald Trump had stepped over the War Powers Resolution when he struck a Syrian airfield. “The administration injected us into a foreign conflict without the input of Congress,” Bonamici said. “This is something that should be done with Congressional debates.”

A Boy Scout in the crowd asked the congresswoman for her thoughts about North Korea and whether America should be involved in the region. Bonamici questioned the wisdom of pulling troops from the area as tension mounts, saying eyes and ears on the ground have value. She said in that matter, she would consult military advisors and colleagues before committing to any strategy of withdrawal.

Bonamici was asked if she would support impeachment for the president. She answered that she joins in the demands for a thorough, independent investigation of many issues in the Trump administration. “The conflicts of interest keep going, the sort of nepotism, the business conflicts of interest and also the Russian connections – I’m very concerned,” she said. “We need an independent investigation.”