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March 28, 2025 18:45-19:56 - CSPAN
01:10:48
Rep. Spartz Holds Town Hall
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george will
00:15
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Speaker Time Text
unidentified
Of spectrum for defense systems, use of spectrum for transportation systems, use of spectrum for aviation systems, and all of this stuff.
And why aren't we concerned?
Why aren't we all horrified at that?
Well, because just like the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, people who have the nuclear codes, people who are directing the military, we put that under direct presidential control, civilian commander-in-chief.
Why is it that this slice of communications policy needs to be relegated to this particular group of experts and the White House can't even touch it?
So I think that there's really a course correction here that to me makes a lot of sense from a public policy perspective.
But the reality is, I mean, we've been sort of going down this road for a while.
This is sort of a culmination.
We'll leave this recorded program here, but you can finish watching it if you go to our website, c-span.org.
And now live event coverage here on C-SPAN.
A lot of these people, what President Trump didn't have last time, wave in the other country, won't get up here in the country.
So for real, there is no surprise if you're not getting middle because you violated the law.
Here it is.
You violated the law.
You are not entitled to keep up.
We are going to go to the power.
And this people violated the war.
If this violates the rule, then we need to make sure we take this under control.
The water has to be secured because it's the slide of your children and this life of you because the content control of the water.
This police officer, if I would bring a bunch of great people risk their lives because they are all criminals to go to the water, that is war.
That is war.
Even that you got the pupils who have, but for the criminals that you're very good at, we have to protect them.
And we need to deter.
We need to deter.
We need to deter the new electorates.
Because we have to make them up.
I don't think anyone will continue this part.
I think I say my payment.
And write this together.
We've got the next question.
That's from Fisher, number 106.
From Fisher, these are 106.
He didn't like it.
I gave him my boy last time.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Okay.
So my question is about the VA.
My best friend, he served as a combat Marine over in Iraq, and he was there when they had the open burn pits, and he was supposed to have surgery on his sinuses, but that was canceled.
He has PTSD.
Those appointments were canceled.
He's supposed to have appointments for his knee and bats.
Those appointments were canceled.
When is he supposed to get the health care that he deserves for serving his country?
I would agree with everyone here who to serve the country is alive, should get the best care when they back home.
So if you have a specific issue, no, if you have a specific issue, you know, I personally did I say a little bit in general about VA.
So if you have a specific issue, we get involved a lot.
I have a good team, you know.
If you have a specific issue, please reach out to my office.
You'll have David here, Bothrama CA.
I do not know circumstances that happen to your friend, but this is an issue to help.
I personally get involved with some Subram.
I need his leadership.
I go talk to them, and I truly believe if they don't treat veterans well, I get on that.
You know, I want to make things happen.
As related to health care services, we actually probably offer more opportunities for veterans to get the best health care, not just for MBA.
And that is a discussion we should have because not everyone can debas services at the VA level and we should have more flexibility with VA cannot deliver some of the services because some VAs are great, some of them are the best.
They have in some areas that don't have problems from people like President.
But in that specific situation, I want to make sure that you get, I think you get cards from David, and you give us information, and we'll make sure that we'll reach out.
Thanks.
The next question is for Laura from Titan 332.
I actually can't afford to go on this show, they don't, you know, they've picked me.
I think I picked her a phone, she knew.
She didn't say something to do.
I love that I use that, so that you can't even touch what I'm doing.
Don't touch, don't tell me.
Okay, go ahead next.
First, I'd like to thank everybody who asked the questions before.
Those were some really common sense questions.
So thank you, everybody.
And then thank you for coming, Representative Sparks.
I just see where you are.
I'm right here.
I'm Spark.
Okay, okay, though.
So, given current events, what are you doing to rein in the executive branch and support the judges?
And look, you might know me well, my mom from the United States Senate time that I actually willing to challenge even my own party when I, you know, when I am issues and I work very,
extremely hard to make sure that our branch is doing its job.
Because the only way and listen, I like what this president is doing, but I might not like what this president is doing but the only way, the only way for the Congress to reinvent branch that oversee the standard and pass it loss.
We based no laws.
Supreme Court told us to pass no law.
81% will never look at that.
So I am trying to work and force my party to put a working group to reform our Budget Act from 70.
That is not working.
Without doing that, we have no people who can put spreadsheets together.
That's the tough reality in Congress.
You want to make sure that the money is spending, the only way to have them decide who voters is in charge.
You know I might like the previous president, I'm like this one, but a little bit further.
How can we make sure that Congress does its job?
We, the people, do the houses when we don't have rights?
We pass the laws when we do not look at where money going.
That you have not represented and it has been for decades.
A quarter of a century Congress doesn't look where the money are going.
Quarter of a century it wasn't made by this party, so I'm trying to change it.
I got into a big fight with my speaker that's what I needed to go challenge all of these speaker, but I tried to first work in group and I'm asking some Democrats for for a change to maybe work with us behind their backs.
That would come too, I'll be honest, with you behind the back By five nominations on Fiscal commission, I do not know.
And that is common, like even today, that we can even have bipartisan.
Unfortunately, I get stressed.
I know you guys listen to a lot of, you know, from other side.
I don't know, but people don't want to do it together.
It's very difficult right now to find any bipartisan Congress.
This is the reality what's happening.
And without bipartisan agreement, you cannot do its work.
So I'll do my best when I can.
But this is the reality that has to be addressed.
And sometimes we have to find common ground that we should not, regardless of what we see, we should not be found by the money that brought the oversight of Congress.
We should not let these agencies ride wild and then check where they want for whatever causes.
It's never been a partisan issue before.
Unfortunately, it became.
So I'll do my part and I'll try to ensure that my party, if we still have a proposal, how we're going to be reforming Congress.
And maybe we'll get some Democrats.
I'll tell you about that.
Our next question is from Carlos.
Carlos, I don't know where you're from because you didn't answer on the phone, but I do know that you're number 46.
Carlos number 46.
I will ask your question for you.
Okay, this is what Carlos R. Number 46 asked.
He said, what do you have to offer to the leftist and progressive Democrats?
I want to feel represented by candidates, politicians on all sides of the political aisle.
How are you looking out for those you vehemently disagree with?
It's actually, I'll tell you something interesting, that when I served in the judiciary, I had passed and actually worked in more bipartisan issues.
That is the most, the most hated committee in the whole United States Congress.
I actually had a bill as Representative Janapaul dealing with hospital monopolies and antitrust.
I actually passed the bill as Representative Raskin commemorating us from Thomas A and Thomas Payne Society.
I actually worked on my amendments to default what's actually left for me and have oversight of some of the agricultural problems where Democrats voted with me.
So I try to find in a narrow basis common ground when I can.
Unfortunately, with the end, therefore, we're a lot of issues, and no one wants to have a conversation.
Everyone wants to scream and shout on the floor.
Representation, not to really find a resolution.
Some of the issues will never agree on.
And this is just reality.
And then in elections, you decide to represent.
You vote for people that you agree.
But the rest of issues for national security, we should be able to agree on.
We should be able to have a conversation.
That is unfortunate because a lot of politics right now knew.
But I still think we are going to be able to do some things.
After maybe reconciliation, and I should try to find some people to be able to do that.
I am actually working with all committees right now.
I am a working group to deliver reconciliation and the laws because I'm going to vote Congress.
I'm going to join a commander tax force.
I want that.
I think you have a simple answer.
Okay, guys?
But we're going to figure it out some things and we're going to work on fiscal issues.
And on some ovations, we might be able to find common ground.
The next question is from Nikona Kennedy flat number 52 and I apologize in advance if I'm mistaken.
She doesn't serve anyone.
You can't make a decision.
Thank you, buddy.
I do not know what you're doing.
We already tell you that.
So with Trump and Elon Stoge cuts to USAID, USDA, increased tariffs, Department of Education, what are you doing for the farmers in Indiana?
Because Indiana is a farming state.
And every workplace, farmers lose money.
And if you're not sure on that, you gave your credentials earlier.
Let me give mine.
I grew up on a farm.
I have an American FFA degree.
I'm a master's level therapist as well as a PhD.
So when I'm asking this question, I don't want to know for me.
I don't want to know for my family.
I want to know for the farms in Indiana, what are you doing to make sure that those products and those goods that they sell to other countries through USAID, through USDA, and through our Department of Education, what are we going to do?
Because those are gone.
I don't care if it does seem like it's getting dirty.
I'm not just, and I really, I'm a farmer myself.
I have a farm in operation.
I drive carbide.
I have a farm.
Thousands of acres in my farm.
So I can tell you, from first-hand knowledge, I actually write the checks for the chemicals.
I lecture out today.
Watch check.
The price is increasing for the grape prices, for all of the seed prices, for all of the regulation, expensive carbon, and oil and gas that we have to pay.
So I'm not just fucking hypothetical.
I'm going to aim this business.
We've been my family who's farming thousands of acres in this area for years, for generations.
My husband grew up on a farm in local school.
And they could almost farm in Minnesota, nobody.
But I do not know about it.
But I'll tell you what to do with Carlin.
And we're going to have a farm bill.
And I want to work on this issue because smaller farmers are going to be destroyed if we do not continue dealing with input costs.
If we have large organopolis like John Deere creating rules that now we're overpaying for equipment that we cannot afford, we have the rights to repair where farmers are not getting screwed by large companies that produce like that.
We need to make sure that we reduce regulation and some issues that is the farm equipment.
We need to make sure that we have so we are not they won't do it because Congress doesn't want to do compensation, but we have a localization of the farm bill.
We need to make sure that some of this program like checkoff About programs that actually use by large meat processing monopolies to subsidize their political interest in DC, which actually, when I put it on the floor, it was a bipartisan issue.
AIC on it, but you know, but we will try to make sure.
We actually didn't have any BPU loans, you know, because I don't care.
But I'll tell you something.
You know, it's very important that we have farmers surviving and small family farms survive.
And we need to start looking at the input cost.
The only place we can have that discussion is the farm bill because it's a must-pass legislation.
So I actually just told the White House, our new Secretary of Agriculture, and I said, I would like to sit down sometimes with you and have also a discussion.
Because also Farm Bill is a health of our nation, too.
How we can have healthy food so our children are healthy and we have a better choice of food and farmers not incentivized and healthy mass production.
How do we know that choices people?
Farm bills don't have a house bill and we have competition for value and they have a bad value of agriculture and it's not happening.
So I hope we can have this conversation.
You know, you have your IHA secretary.
but rfk wants to have this conversation You know, we're probably talking about this father should be an agreement.
But we need to have this discussion because it's extremely important how we can do that.
So I actually do have, if anyone interested in farming, including you, I have agricultural groups because I have a lot of advisory groups in different counties.
And we need providers.
It's important for me to get all inputs.
You know, I truly, I need it.
I actually get a lot of good ideas from people on the ground for a variety of things.
I usually, yeah, just leave them through.
I usually just meet with farmers, but interesting to look at people who maybe not in the world of farm but familiar with farm and have an other perspective on how the farm business is, not just farmers, because we look maybe a few things, you might have a broader perspective.
I think we need to look at that and farm bill is going to be opportunity.
After we're done with the other things, later in the summer, in August, we have a recess.
We'll have a lot of town halls, and I usually do a lot of things on farming because farm bill will have to be realized in September, October.
And that's where the policy can happen.
I'd be happy to hear for you, but I would like to have you that.
It's very much like I can chat after you get to know everybody.
But thank you.
Thank you for the question.
Our next question is from Stephia from Muncie, number 329.
I apologize again if I mispronounce your names.
Okay, we'll get a microphone right to you.
Thank you.
Okay, I have friends and neighbors on disability.
What is the plan to protect the disabled?
This is one of the things.
Really, that should be a bipartisan issue.
I involved with a lot of people in the disability community, one of my friends.
But one thing that we need to make sure, we need to Medicaid that provide a lot of services for people with disability and provide better services.
That's what Medicaid was intended for, to help people with disability.
A lot of services were cut.
And a lot of money in Medicaid went to subsidize large only variables that don't provide services.
So we need to have this discussion because we need to make sure that we have, and plus provide more choice for parents and for people with disability, including for seniors too, the more nursing home.
What kind of care do people need?
That has to be reformed.
State has almost full control of Medicaid and they haven't been using its very good job with that.
I think this session they tried to do it when I was state senator.
I tried to push this issue.
They were not very good.
So we've tried to look at the federal level how we can incentivize or punish state for bad behaviors.
And that is the discussion that's going to be.
We have to look because the federal government is funding this province, but states always play discretion on Medicaid that provide a lot of service for people with disability.
We need to make sure that we do better.
And that's something, you know, over time, you know, we talk about how much money we spent.
This is an enormous amount of federal money I spent.
But I think you need to also utilize more your voice at the state house.
It's much easier for you to show up during the budget session.
And I think some of these issues we have to figure out.
And if you ever need to be helpful, I'm happy to do it.
Actually, we have Cecilia Copenhagen Fisher's.
I don't know.
Which city you fought?
She's running the rest of Madeline.
They have a task force in the city of Work on Disability Initiatives with local government.
And I try to collaborate with them as much as I can because we need to make sure that we help the most vulnerable and the benefits of the province.
But don't waste money on people that abusing the system because then we run out of money to help people happen together.
Next question is from Bob from Fisher's number 59.
If you are Bob from Fisheries, number 59, I'm going to get a microphone right to you.
My question is, are you going to get an increase to budget deficit?
No, I am not.
And I'm actually working working very hard to make sure that we come after bad stuff in the budget, to make sure that we come after all of the fraud in the system, and we are able to pass taxes that will work that far.
So this is something that this is something that is going to happen that is going to happen in May.
I personally put a working group together with all varieties of committees and I'm working legislation.
You don't understand how weird it is to work on working legislation.
And what I would like to do, you know, before we introduce this legislation, I'll make sure you're going to see what is in these bills and understand what we are doing.
Because a lot of times they write very complex stuff.
You have no idea what it is.
So if you sign up, I mean, that's how the fund is done.
That's not because all you buses commit.
I don't know what is in this bill.
We're just too messy policies.
It's possible that all later what is it?
I do it now.
So I do not want us to vote that people don't know what we're doing.
Oh, we don't even know what we're doing.
They put my second on the side and say, here's how you must vote for it.
Overcoming primary your goods.
So what I'm going to do, I want to make sure if you sign up to my miss Lattice, and if we have, if I don't lose my voice to the phone, I might be welcome holes, but if we can have conversations, I want to talk about these bills because I am not going, I do not want, we have a significant fiscal crisis, and I want to make sure that we're not going to be raising deficits.
You're going to put, Congress is going to put together a budget, a bill, and the Republican Party is going to put together a budget, a bill, and the Republican Party is going to put together a bill.
I don't hear it wrong.
Yes.
Where that budget increases the deficit.
Will you?
No, I said I will and I did it.
You know, that's why I want to make sure.
I've actually no?
No.
No?
No.
We have a budget.
This is no.
You're going to understand what the discussion is.
This is what they're doing right now.
It's instructions that is going to have a resolution.
And I'll be honest with you.
The biggest problem is not the House.
It's the Senate.
That Senate doesn't want to do anymore.
Any upset Francis Dempsey is making lots of money.
They know the Baba is a payment.
They're fault.
And that is a challenge.
So I am not, and that's why I'm voting.
I'm working right now to make sure that we can at least balance this reconciliation.
That is what I'm doing.
I can reassure you that I am a step financially.
I understand the significance of our fiscal situation.
And I wish we could actually reduce our deficits, reduce the accident and debt.
But at least we cannot add more to it.
I understand because it will cause inflation and it will cause more problems if we do that.
So that is my answer.
I'm not going to let it continue to prison deficits.
It's a national security issue.
But I'm trying to find solutions to this issue.
And I'm going to be open-minded.
Our next question is from Gina from party number 234.
Don't do the tax cuts.
It'll help with the budget.
You have questions for tax cuts.
Some of the tax cuts, you know, like this question about tax cuts.
Some of the tax cuts do bring roads.
Some of them don't.
to help people with lower income.
Not all of them wrote by finances.
But he wants to ensure that smaller businesses have an opportunity for growth.
But then look at the code.
Way and it's doing looking on the tax cuts.
I'm trying to figure out what to do with it.
When is going at the front and accept some of this cuts?
Okay, I'm going to go to Dean, who's been waiting so patiently to ask a question.
Thank you, Deanna.
Thank you for being here today.
Before I begin, I, like a lot of you here, clearly disagree with some of the things she's saying, but I want to say that we are not going to be able to hear what she has to say if we continue to behave in this manner.
This is ridiculous.
You know what?
We need to be civil and we need to listen and be on this side.
I need to make that clear.
I actually handle it in this way.
Okay, my question.
Quiet.
Okay, my question.
This week, President Trump expressed his desire to end federal funding for NPR and PBS, which polling shows is opposed by a majority of Americans.
Would you support or oppose this action?
I'll tell you that I will, and I'll tell you that.
I'll tell you why.
I'll tell you why.
Because unfortunately, first of all, I answered the question, buddy.
I'll tell you why.
Oh, no.
I said yes, but I want to give you an explanation.
I'll give you an explanation.
I think we're leaving on the wall.
We're really, unfortunately, we don't have transparency in the media.
We live in the wall of media.
The government shouldn't be subsidizing media.
If you like NPR, you know, and you can listen to the PR, self-petitive PR, but we have enough funding.
If somebody likes fogs, they can do the same for us.
So you have a choice.
You know, government shouldn't be paying and subsidizing media sympathy.
So they do here with NPI, and we notice that almost everyone there in NPR, and actually Eleanor a few times.
And I'll be honest with you, they try to be fair with me in some ways, and we talk about economic issues, and I appreciate some issues that they're willing to talk with a Republican.
A lot of times it generally just attacks.
So I've had these good conversations in NPR.
I think we need to decide.
And if we see that the media is very terrible, why the government should be spending, because ultimately, countries, you know, divided in some way.
Why are we spending money on providing to one side but not the other side?
And what should we say, funding some conservative on us too?
Because unfortunately, public media is not doing moves that are not tilted, and unfortunately, they become very poor.
So I do not know if this issue will come in front of us.
But if it doesn't come up, I just see so much.
I mean, I've been doing this media variety, and I even go on very hostile media just to be able to have conversations.
I go to MSNBC, I go to the CNN and NPR, and it's not easy.
Usually my colleagues don't even go, but I'm willing to go just to have a different views and conversation.
And usually that's tough.
For politicians, it's real tough.
But I don't think government should be really paying money, spending money subsidizing any media.
There is plenty of ways to fund media as nice.
And there's actually quite a fun venue.
Our next question is from Ben from Westfield, number 225.
That's Ben from Westfield, number 225.
That's a reasonable explanation.
If you're Ben from Westfield 225, do you want to raise your hand real big and tall?
Or I can ask your question if you want.
Okay, I'll go ahead and ask it for you.
So this is from Ben from Westfield.
He said, I've been a registered Republican since 1976 in Hamilton County.
Always voted for Dick Lieber.
Why have Republican Congress members not registered, no, excuse me, not rein in president's illegal and constitutional law?
Executive orders, it's not a way to govern.
But until Congress can pass the law, Congress can order it up for a very long time.
And unfortunately, to pass any law right now, it would take 60 votes.
So, in a sense, we cannot press Excel.
I'll just tell you reality.
It is reality.
And unfortunately, right now, I agree.
And unfortunately, right now, there is no taste for this bipartisan.
So everyone will be in the power to vote.
So that is the reality of what's happening.
Congress is not going to, until Congress decides that Congress does a good job.
So it's not going to happen.
And right now, I agree with you.
Congress has to pass forward.
It has to do with issues.
But Congress cannot come to the agreement.
And until the party agrees to deal with this issue I agree on, nothing is going to happen.
And the same situation was happening by the Democrat president.
We have President Biden running by Ellen.
And I do not like this because I'm not like a packing guard today.
Honestly, I don't know what's going to happen in four years.
So I'm willing to try to inform our institutions that this guy does its job.
And I do as much as I can in a short majority.
Unfortunately, it will take more than May.
And I hope we can talk to you some of the stuff.
Because, because, you know, if Congress does not continue doing its job, we want to be run country by executive orders, which is a notable hospital.
That's been happening now for decades.
It didn't happen in the Congress.
So that is the reality that's happening.
You know, the only way we can do it is party decides that they want to work together.
And I'm working extremely far to find common ground.
Actually, as a matter of fact, I pass 12 bills on the Democrats.
You know, that is not that easy.
But it's a very, very narrow basis.
Actually, for the Democrat president, and some of them will pass legislation.
But I think that is important for us to do that.
It's important to find common ground.
But I don't think in this environment it's happening right now because people may get upset.
Maybe people have reason to do that.
Maybe people just do it for the protest.
But unfortunately, no one wants to do anything right now.
And that is a tough reality.
So until Congress is going to wake up, if I'm going to be going up.
Thank you.
We have another question.
This is from Amy Carmel, number 121.
Excellent.
We'll get a microphone back to you.
just like to remind everyone we appreciate you being quiet so you can hear our question asked and answered.
I do.
I'm Amy from Carmel and I work in the affordable housing field.
Thank you for being here tonight.
I appreciate it.
What will you do to ensure that those who are most vulnerable will have access to decent and affordable housing, especially those who are elderly and or have disabilities?
There are a few aspects to affordable housing.
One became the price of housing become not just unaffordable, it's becoming unachievable, not just for people in the low income, but even the people in the middle income people.
And I think we've seen the crisis.
And it's a combination sort of thing.
So we have to deal with the pricing.
If we don't deal with inflation, mortgage prices are going to go up.
So we have to deal with spending on inflation because it's become more and more affordable and achievable.
But we also need to make sure that how we can stop this inflation and have a better economy for people with disabilities, for people, including seniors.
You know, we right now spend, when I was a senator, I did a calculation.
We automatically, for providing seniors, you know, nursing homes, we spend enormous amount of money.
Seniors don't get the services, and you saw that a lot of them don't even go to seniors.
How some of these programs for the most vulnerable actually go directly to help most vulnerable and have them make a choice.
You know, what is the best care?
Our departmental services spend $50,000 per child per year.
5 to 10 goes to foster family.
I was asking, where is the rest of the goal?
Can send the people to Harvard Business School for $50,000 a year.
Where the money going?
Some kind of services.
And no one will give an answer.
These problems are getting very, very expensive.
So I said, let's just, you know, give a camp.
It's cheaper than we're going to save the money.
So we have to start reforming some of these programs to allow people to actually need this help, to make sure they get it, but not all these groups of intermediaries in every health care with the PPMs.
You can see how much money made a pharmaceutical.
And people cannot get affordable pharmaceuticals.
Every area where they send the services, whether it's morsel, whether it's prostate cure.
We have all these intermediaries, agencies, an enormous amount of money, give to a variety of organizations.
And I wanted to run.
And I have some very poor communities in my district.
And the money are not there.
I actually had a bipartisan bill that I passed with the chair of the education committee at that time, Democrat, on juvenile justice prevention for true use.
Because I've seen what's happening if we don't deal with kids early.
You know, the kids get into the criminal justice system and then we try to get them to jails.
With that legislation, we're not spending money to get it doesn't go to the crowd.
So we need to start looking how the money goes, where they go, why we keep spending money, and less than happening.
So I think that's what we try to do, make sure we reform these programs, that we make sure the benefits for the most vulnerable, for people with disabilities, the seniors, are protected and improved.
We need to do better benefits.
I see how people struggle, but we spend more money, benefits don't get better.
We have to have better outcomes.
We have to have better health care and look at how we can reform it.
That's what I'm looking because we always get limited amount of money.
We don't want to govern taxes in all Americans.
We want to make sure that we keep taxes low.
If I make sure with money, we have to do a better job.
And that's when we're going to start looking at some of these problems and career for the most vulnerable.
Our next question is from Richard from Zionsville, number 273.
Richard from Zionsville, number 273.
Now, see you.
Go ahead and ask Richard's question.
And he had a very specific question I thought was great about last time Social Security.
Are any of our Indiana offices being closed?
Richard from Zion'sville wants to know.
Indiana offices?
That's a yes.
Yeah, I mean, if you're aware of anything, I don't.
We try to keep all our offices closed too.
You know, and if you look into my staff, I'll keep my office open too.
And they feel a very, you know, they're very boring about that.
We'll have to make appointments because my job is also make sure that we get people safe.
But I think, you know, we've got a lot.
You know, I know there is a lot of drama with a variety of agencies and everything else, but honestly, we're trying to make sure that we automate, bring technology, and make some of these agencies work better for you.
And that is realistic, like a common sense.
We should all agree on that, but maybe it's very hard for us to agree.
So I understand, but hopefully we'll find coming down and rising some of the issues.
We have another question from Tanya and Fisher's, number 257.
Tanya and Fisher's, number 257.
Okay, I'm going to go ahead and ask Tanya's question for her, scanning the room.
I think I was here.
Tanya from Fisher's asks, please provide more detail of your involvement/slash efforts to Doge and why you think that this will help your constituents here in the fifth district.
So I want to make sure that if you want to answer my question, maybe we're getting too tired, but I think we'll at least go to Southern Fortnite and then we'll have a personal questions, whatever you want to do.
Okay, I'll just stay about here for another half an hour and do that.
But let me just finish it.
Let me just finish a little bit, you know.
Thank you, Prish.
So let's just finish a little bit, a question about goals.
So I came from the auditing world.
I came from the auditing profession.
And in a lot of space, where people come, this is a lot of business people from IT world.
And what they try to do is they try to automate some transaction and do like some simple eye things.
And the government really is so behind a lot of that that you would be very surprised how bad it is.
A similar transaction is first with no authorization.
You know, there's no approval and justification.
I don't think you would be running your own business like that.
None of you, you just have to bucket the government running on that.
This is the people from the business world, so I have a good understanding of what they're doing, and I'm trying to work with them, and I work with them quite closely.
I'll be honest with you.
But I want to make sure that things that are bad actually go to go eliminate to Congress and not, because that is the job of the Congress to make sure that the bad stuff and fraud goes to Congress.
So my job is working with them to make sure that we can pass proper legislation that we don't have to be continued dealing with fraud and abuse and keep the promised benefit to the people and have a better system to monitor how your money is spent.
That's what I tried to do, but I work very, very closely with them personally.
And unfortunately, it's so loud that probably you won't want to listen to all of the details.
But if you are interested, I will be providing more information.
And I send my news status and always give details on different things.
But I'm hopeful that we can agree through things with me in your own way.
We have a question from William from Westfield, number 172.
William from Westfield.
We'll get them back to you in just a second.
So thank you for being patient.
We have, we have a, okay.
Okay, we have a question.
We have a question from William from Westfield.
I'm sorry.
It's not working.
I can tell you this, that I would not be standing close to the Congresswoman because she's going to get hit by lightning for all the laws that she's going to do.
We like to spend money.
But this is graphic and congressional budget office, actually a lot of Democrats don't like.
And Republicans don't.
So if you don't like, and actually, listen, CBO is not perfect, but if we couldn't have CBO, the country would completely run wild and we would completely band with the country.
So actually the Congressional Budget Office right now, that's what the graph are.
I don't create them.
They do this graph.
So this is a reality.
And actually, my party is not questioning a lot of this.
But CBO is coming because they don't like some things.
And I said, well, you cannot just change accounting when you don't like the result.
So I pushed back to my own party and I said, we have to count in the same accounting.
We need to make sure, you know, and I will not allow them to change accounting methods.
And then we have a big fight with the Senate.
So we'll see what the Senate is going to come.
Senate wants to change accounting.
I don't think it's right.
And I'm not agreeing to that.
And that's a resolution.
Go to see how it's going to come.
I haven't seen it, then I'll probably go to work next week.
And if I go to change baseline, I'm not going to be supporting that.
So maybe for a different reason than a lot of budget is going to change accounting methods to show that tax cuts have no effect.
I am not supporting that.
We need to be honest.
We need to see what is good accounting, what is not, and where is the bad stuff.
We need to start balancing the books.
And CBO might be not perfect, but we need to have that.
So that's what substance is going to stick on the table, but that's what this process is not created by me.
I'll be happy if we can provide them to them.
How about all the things that are being cut out?
This is all CBO numbers.
So that's came from.
They have reports.
They do that.
And I send them.
Yeah, it's from their reports.
Yeah, I'll be happy.
And if you want your email, I provide this with him that they actually issued for economic outlook yesterday.
You know, so I actually, this is probably for my August founder I did on the fiscal issues.
But yes, from yesterday, I have a little bit different, but I don't think it's much changed.
We have a question from Melissa for Carmel, number 362.
Okay, we'll get a microphone to you.
I'm going to get an easy question for not.
I'm telling all visitors.
You're not lying, but I'll tell you all visitors.
You might not agree with me, but I'll tell you the truth.
Let's listen to Melissa, please.
I work at a school, and we've just learned that Trump signed an executive order to completely eliminate the Department of Education, which funds the majority of our school.
I could lose my job because of this.
And I want to know why this is in the interest of teachers like myself.
So the part of the education is one of those teachers and kids.
It's people like you are people on the ground.
That's teaching kids.
Department of Education average shower of $140,000 a year.
That's not where teachers get paid.
So, we're not talking about moving, you know, taking funding away.
We're talking about actually giving this funding to the states more directly so we eliminate some of the bureaucracy.
And it's very interesting.
Let me tell you, one issue at our state center, I disagree with a lot of issues with teachers' union, but I work on the regulation of teacher profession, and they did not like all of the federal testing.
That is one of the issues are working to help them to provide more flexibility that they are not teaching to the test, and the teachers have an ability to actually teach kids.
And the teachers are rewarded probably not regulated, non-stop non-soft is no longer regulation, but even fake people.
So, in the meantime, we have to think also how we make sure when we send money to the states, we also make sure that states use this money well because they don't always use this money well.
That's a different discussion.
But we try to see how the federal government can do better jobs of things we should do: national security, protecting the border, have a strong military, have interstate powers.
And some of the issues give states the ability to innovate and educate kids better, and the word teachers better that we actually have best advantages coming into profession, which become very hard.
I go to college a little bit, I taught at the public academy, I didn't teach at school, I came to the high school and best of it for some schools.
I've seen how tough it is.
I have children in schools, I know how tough the job is, but I can tell you education is not acceptable right now.
Our educational outcomes is not acceptable.
Our kids will spend a lot more money and our kids don't get knowledge and be able to survive in a society that is fascinated and requires a lot of new skills.
I cannot believe we cannot teach freedom, simple mathematics and kids and some simple things.
So we have to think about that.
And colleges, with the debt that kids accumulate, destroy an opportunity for them.
A lot of them, with enormous amount of debt, and workers' diplomas, they have to have a big part of their lives just to pay off their debt.
That is driving very cover sentence and outcomes when they don't have them.
And it's interesting now because it's also some of the high-end, including under President Obama, was more bipartisan issue about educational outcomes, but now it becomes so partisan that it's definitely no one wants to deal with that.
But we have to give this education to our children because it is a national security crisis because only 30% of our kids, for educational health reasons, are able to join the military, are eligible to join the military.
70% of our kids are ineligible.
That is not a good idea.
So we have to think.
So I want to make sure that the money we're going to fund education, and if we have to good causes, we're going to fund back and come after fraud and abuse, but not a lot of bureaucracy don't have education in D.C.
So I think the department did a terrible job in DC.
You know, they're doing a terrible job, and we need to do a better job on the ground and help states to deliver better.
I'm sure we have less than 30 minutes left, so I want to tell you, I know you appreciate my hires, how much we appreciate your decorum and civility.
I have a question from Chrissy about number 336.
I'm going to ask them why I'm not going to be able to do it.
We'll get a microphone right to you.
Thank you so much for your patience.
I've got one coming over that way to make sure.
We make a favor.
The floor belongs to Mr. Eller, sir.
Why are you joining us?
It's not your question.
Let's turn to the person next question.
Thank you.
First of all, Congresswoman, thank you for coming.
I know you've seen a lot of what's happened in America with town halls here recently, and you didn't have to do this, so we thank you for coming.
And also, you said yourself that you're not used to town halls like this, so I'm proud of my fellow Hoosiers that we're getting involved in this process.
My question, you often talked about supporting jobs in the economy, yet you voted against protections for steel workers and automakers in this district, as well as a workers' right to organize federal workers.
You also support an administration that's allowing those that basically cut Social Security and Medicare by removing $880 billion from the departments that administer these services, programs that many working class Hoosiers all depend on.
Can you explain how these actions align with your promises to protect American jobs and help working families?
Actually, in spite of a lot of things that people talk about, I actually work with a lot of issues with a variety of unions.
And there are some issues we might agree, but some issues we disagree.
Actually, health scandal, that's one of the issues that is wage suppression, as for union labor, and it's not for union labor.
And I told them I can be very strong alive.
We had good meetings recently with them, and I said we can work together and agree on that.
I've always been a supporter of competition in the market, but I'd never been the person who believes that the union cannot exist.
I think union actually can be very helpful to organize if they serve the people, and if the leadership serves the members, they could actually help in some ways.
Because when companies come to places like Indiana and we try to bring manufacturing to Indiana, we don't just compete with Illinois and Michigan and Ohio.
We compete with Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Carolinas.
I want to make sure that we have good energy prices, we have water resources, which is trade requires for a lot of types of jobs, and we have educated labor.
And if union has provided this labor, that's fine.
But I am not going to support to mandate it, but I'm not against to help good leadership of good unions to deal with issues.
And I'm looking very closely.
I have a variety of them in my district north of here.
And we try and President Trump been very supportive.
And he actually put in charge of the Department of Labor, my colleague, who actually has the race that we're full pro-labor union, which a lot of Republicans didn't like, but he doesn't look at that union as an anti-union.
You know, so I do believe the competition should happen.
I believe in right to work, but I also believe we can work with unions, and if they have good leadership, they can help the member to have good jobs.
And you know, more organized labor where we can say when company comes to Indiana, we have trained people, we have good people, but they need to offer value.
We are not going to be just good protections if they don't help the members.
And a lot of things were happening in the early 2000s.
It wasn't happening.
You know, they were not really serving the members of the leadership.
I always separate leadership and the members.
And a lot of things happen that, you know, in a lot of other derived societies that make industries move to China.
We need to bring them back, but we need to be strong.
And I'm not opening work with unions.
And I have been working with a variety of them.
So I always try to find common ground.
And if there is any specific issue, you are interested.
I'll be open-minded regardless of how.
You work with unions.
What do you vote against?
And you just.
I just said I believe in right to work.
I'd love to believe I believe in right of work.
I believe in the choices.
I believe in that.
But if union got organized, I have no problem with that.
And I'd be very profound organized.
But I just said to you, I think I answer your question.
I think I am the question.
Okay, our next question is from Gail from Cicero, number 473.
That's Gail from Cicero, number 473.
And I know we've lost some folks, so you may hear my voice more.
I'll ask Gail's question for her.
She said, Do you feel you represent all voters in your district?
And do you consider carefully your decisions in light of all constituent wishes?
And she added in, based on phone calls, emails, postcards, etc.
Yeah, I really do.
I've actually refrained as a role as his election, right?
So if you believe in it, you will never be able to agree on 100% of the issue.
I'll just say I don't agree with my husband on 100% of the issue.
But I try to do my best.
First, when I look at my decision, see on a lawyer decision how constitutional it is, because my first oath is the Constitution.
Then second, what is the majority of people in my district think, right?
And ultimately, I want the Senate and I want two elections in here.
So ultimately, people believe that I did the right thing with Germany.
I would like to see more common ground and more people from other side be open-minded and vote for me on some issues beyond the party, you know, but ultimately that's a choice for you.
You might like someone else.
And that's a choice as we have decided an election.
But I do meet with variety of groups on every issue I can I do not take side until I listen to all of the sites and I try to figure out what is the right call.
So I meet with some of the groups that disagree with me very vividly.
And it's not easy.
I'll be honest with you, this control wasn't easy because I know there are a lot of calm people with maybe different views, but I didn't want not to have it, even though, you know, as you know, I wasn't advised by security people, everyone, to do it.
But I felt that we still need to have a conversation, regardless, I need to hear you.
I need to hear your voice.
I need to hear your frustration.
Hopefully, I can address them.
Maybe some I cannot, but hopefully, you stay in touch with me and stay in touch with the office, and we'll have more of that.
And I think I appreciate you.
I'll be honest with you, we, you know, I do this on holes for a long time.
No one else does it, but most of my colleagues advise against it, you know.
But I always do that, and I've done it, and we never had such a participation.
So when I sort of got more participation through, and I tried to find Venue a little bit closer, but previously, you have to send a letter.
You know, I don't know, maybe it was the Doom Stadiums, but I think he might not show up next time.
You know, but what I was just saying, you know, I really thought about doing something, you know, and you know, here at the hundredth anniversary fields, you know, Google fields over there.
But I said, well, that's a little bit complicated right in Renpark.
So this is probably not that far and everything else.
So we'll try to stay in touch, but ultimately, you know, I hope we can have this, and I hope we can have this conversation.
And we might actually really have a green one issue here.
So hopefully maybe we'll agree more.
But I appreciate the questions, and I'll try to do my best to listen to all of the sites.
And you can make the session on November, and ultimately always have a choice.
We have a question from Jack and Carmel, number 150.
Jack and Carmel, 150.
Okay.
I will ask a question.
He said, this is a constituent request.
How have voter service requests to your office changed in 2025?
You noted especially Social Security and appointments.
I'm not entirely sure what he means by that, but he did also add thank you.
Okay, well, I think when Reich tried to streamline website, he's going to launch a website, it is a little bit easy, but we haven't done it yet.
Hopefully, it's going to be soon.
Our IT services are not as fast, but hopefully they get better.
But you always can, if you have some requests, you can do it through the website.
But you can also come into office or call into office.
We have actually opened the policy.
Our offices are open.
Unless I'll be advised for security reasons to have by appointment.
And I think, you know, regardless how you feel, my staff are employees of the federal government.
So if you don't like something, that's for their fault.
You know, they're not there today there to serve you and they don't necessarily might agree even with me on this issue.
But it doesn't matter.
They work there to serve you.
So we try to do our best.
And I think David has been, for my two predecessors, he's been for a very long time.
And I'll be honest with you, a lot of people say we don't even agree with your politics, but David is great.
So for me, feedback about my people is most important, my employees.
So if we can do better, let us know.
But we'll try to streamline some technology and make websites.
So we haven't changed anything.
It's still the same, but we'll try to make sure that our website is a little bit user-friendly because this is a generic website that we had in the freshness, and now I'm trying to make it better.
But I don't think that is a change right now.
We have a question from Deb and Westfield, number 227.
Wonderful.
We'll get a microphone right to you.
Thank you for your patience as one comes right over your way.
Perfect.
And thank you to the audience for being a great discussion.
Our middle class has been dwindling for decades.
And I really appreciate what everybody's trying to do with tariffs and bringing jobs back here.
But what's our middle class going to do in the meantime?
They're becoming poorer and poorer.
We've already addressed the problem about lack of affordable housing, lack of health care, and now who knows what education is going to look like for these folks.
So, how do we not only maintain the middle class, but try and grow it?
But I think President Trump is only here for a few more years, so then you know.
But the question, this is a huge problem, and I think we need to make sure how we can help more people grow in the middle class.
Actually, real estate and affordability is one of the issues that a lot of Americans is the biggest asset that Americans own and allow them to build some wealth and grow and be able to do it.
No access to capital, where now small businesses struggle to get access to capital, that's a huge problem to the middle class.
So, we need to grow the economy.
Growth of economy helps with different jobs, but then we also need to see how we're not creating now this environment where a lot of young people is close to the government, get all of the perks and benefits.
And that's reality.
That's a reality.
That's a reality.
They get grant, get subsidy, get credits.
You know, they're live in Washington, D.C., and they get a lot of benefits.
Where people in the middle class and people in the low income are not able to get all of this.
So, I think this is becoming a distortion because, unfortunately, if you want politicians to make decisions, you know, not actually the markets, you know, not you, which causes are good, but actually allowing that to centralize the power, more and more money go to the wrong causes.
So, we have to think how the programs we have that allow people to go from low income to go to middle class, how young people have opportunities to be able to acquire real estate and have good-paying jobs.
So, I think growth of economy is one thing, but I think we need to look at the other side.
What are we doing with financial markets?
Because ultimately, no matter what it is, you're in small business, large business, or even family, it's access to finances, be able to build wells, and how we can have people actually not just living in apartments, but also be able to buy some housing.
So, I think it's going to be a problem in the special health, and we have more and more disparity now with the wealthiest people and the rest.
I think this disparity has to be addressed because if we're going to have more people in the middle class, the economy is going to be, the economy will not be as strong.
So, we have to look at that and we try to look at that.
Of course, we need to re-energize the growth in the economy because it will help.
If we don't have economic growth, it's very difficult because right now, we are in trouble financial.
And economic growth will help us.
You have a question from Barb and Carmel, number 39.
Barb and Carmel, number 39.
Tax the rich!
Barb and Congress.
So, Congresswoman, this is from Barb and Carmel.
She says, are you going to vote to continue to fund Ukraine and support NATO?
So, this is a question.
I've always been a supporter of NATO.
It's an important institution for that security of Europe.
We need to make sure that Europeans do better too.
We need to make sure that Europeans get to that 2% because that's in their interest.
So, we need to put pressure on them.
We need to make sure that Europeans have smarter energy policy because that's an economic interest, and we can help in a lot of ways for them.
I'm not going to be sending blank checks to anyone.
I am sorry.
We have no bank, no blank checks.
We need to have strategy, and we need to know where the money is spent.
And let's just be honest, we're dealing with a lot of foreign governments that leaves much to be desired.
Okay, let me just stop at that.
So, we need to describe, you know, I mean, anybody will have all this thing, but when we send African Americans to foreign countries, we need to be smart.
What we're doing and what it is, you know.
So, I think that's going to be a conversation about foreign policy, which we can build broken.
But as you know, strengths of NATO also have to be put in sight.
Americans cannot constantly pay the check to everyone.
You cannot constantly do that.
Our next question is from Dylan from Westfield, number 293.
Wonderful.
He's right over here.
We'll get a microphone to you.
Very shortly, sir.
Thank you.
Like some others, I really do appreciate you being here.
This is not the friendliest environment for this fake evening.
After you elected to Congress, you swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so helping God.
Since you took that oath in January, the current administration has repeatedly ignored the plain text of the Constitution by illegally dismantling agencies established by acts of Congress, your branch, even putting Elon Musk in charge of deciding which funds appropriated by your branch will or will not be spent.
The president and the executive branch have stolen your exclusive constitutional authority over appropriations.
As our elected elected representative, you should find this completely intolerable.
So, okay, so my question is: when are you going to live up to your oath, defend the Constitution, and reclaim the powers that the voters of this district have reserved for you?
In other words, when are you going to start doing your job?
My oath to the Constitution, I take extremely seriously.
So, you might disagree.
I actually require my party and did quite a lot of things.
I'm putting a certification on election.
I departed with that issue.
So, I do take it seriously and look at things.
The fiscal solicitation, the fiscal issue that all the Congress looked at, regardless what we like or not.
And I honestly, a lot of things that President Douglas would not like.
But I want to make sure that you understand, Congress doesn't look at 85% of what's happening.
That is a broken system.
Regardless, what we're likely going to stado the job passed and what then look at our preparations.
I am one person by I forces this speak on you understand.
Congress doesn't look at that 85% of what's happening.
That is a broken system.
Regardless, what we're like to go through.
I caught this league to sedunic job past and what then look at our preparations.
We seem to be having a technical issue with our signal from this live event.
We are working to resolve the issue, and we hope to resume our live coverage shortly.
Unfortunately, we are still having technical issues, and we're not able to resolve the problem with our live feed from this event.
We hope to have this for you in its entirety later on our program schedule.
Tonight, more coverage of Lawmakers Town Hall meetings as California Democratic Representative Robert Garcia meets with constituents in his district.
Watch live at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on C-SPAN.
C-SPAN Now, our free mobile video app, and online at c-span.org.
Former Wyoming Senator Alan K. Simpson recently died at the age of 93.
On Saturday, the Simpson family is hosting a public celebration of his life at the University of Wyoming.
Mr. Simpson served three terms as a U.S. Senator from 1979 to 1997.
He became Republican whip in 1985 and held that leadership position for 10 years.
Watch his memorial service live starting at 1 p.m. Eastern on C-SPAN.
C-SPAN Now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org.
Sunday.
On C-SPAN's QA, author and writer George Will, whose nationally syndicated column has been running since 1974, discusses his life and career in the opinion business.
Mr. Will talks about the impact of his work on U.S. politics over the past 50 years, conservatism in the age of Donald Trump, his love of baseball, and other topics.
How opinion gets formed is mysterious.
It's slow.
george will ▲ ● ▼
It's kind of a kind of ongoing osmosis by which opinion is formed.
unidentified
And I like it that way.
george will ▲ ● ▼
Who wants to live in a country that is blown about by gusts of opinion emitted by journalists?
unidentified
Author and writer George Will, Sunday night at 8 p.m. Eastern on C-SPAN's Q ⁇ A. You can listen to Q&A wherever you get your podcasts and on the C-SPAN Now app.
Democracy.
It isn't just an idea.
It's a process.
A process shaped by leaders elected to the highest offices and entrusted to a select few with guarding its basic principles.
It's where debates unfold, decisions are made, and the nation's course is charted.
Democracy in real time.
This is your government at work.
This is C-SPAN, giving you your democracy unfiltered.
Next on Book TV's author interview program afterwards, writer Paul Blustein makes the case for why he believes the dollar will remain the world's dominant currency.
He's interviewed by author and counsel on foreign relations, senior fellow Zongyan Zoe Liu.
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