Congressman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) held a town hall Tuesday at the Science Spectrum to answer Lubbock residents’ questions and concerns, addressing everything from tax reform to health care.
One of the biggest points of discussion was gun legislation, especially following the recent events in Lubbock and Las Vegas, with constituent asking, “What is your answer to what has been happening over and over and killing our people?”
“I want to make sure that I am fighting vigilantly for the law abiding citizens to defend themselves against evil acts,” Arrington said. “I don’t know any legislation that can stop people like that.”
He also addressed his agreement with the president on many key policy issues.
“I stand with President Trump. I want him to be successful. His policy agenda is my policy agenda. I believe that his policies and the policies I ran on will make us safer and stronger,” Arrington said. “Do I endorse every tweet that he sends out? No I don’t. But I want him to be successful.”
On healthcare, Arrington said, “I think Obamacare has failed miserably.”
Later adding, “Fundamentally, I don’t want any more top down government controlled healthcare, I want real choice and I believe that’s how the most folks are going to get the best healthcare.”
Arrington said it’s easy to have these kinds of discussions and discuss the tough questions because of his firmly held beliefs.
“I tried to answer questions honestly and with as much conviction as I had in the campaign. I’m not trying to be anybody but who I am.”
The legislator says he’s been meeting with constituents across West Texas in smaller groups, but appreciates the larger format. Attendees said they agree
“In the smaller meetings, he tended to talk a lot more than the people that attended the meeting,” Attendee Louise Sanders said. “I thought this was better because more people got to ask questions and his answers were more limited and more focused on the question.”
Arrington even took a question on tax reform from a Democratic candidate for Congress, Dan Epstein.
“Last time around in November when Congressman Arrington was elected he faced no Democrat at all on the ballot. This time around there is myself, and Miguel Levario,” Dan Epstein said. “There’s two democrats on the ballot who have decided that his policies are too extreme for the people of West Texas.”
When one attendee asked how Arrington is attempting to bridge the divide between Republicans and Democrats, he gave the woman a hug.
“I have worked to sew seeds of civility,” Arrington said, speaking about his efforts to have the two parties work together on legislation and the good will among his freshman class of legislators.
Of town halls like this one, Arrington said, “It helps me to listen to everybody, not just those who agree with me, conservatives who will say “amen” to anything I say. But also those who disagree with me. That is part of the process. I welcome that.”
