Johnson Hosts Constituents for 'Christmas Coffee'
SALEM, Ohio – U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson is “cautiously optimistic” regarding prospects for a budget agreement that would stave off the next round of cuts mandated by sequestration.
The congressman, R-6 Ohio, says he's encouraged by indications during the past few weeks that U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-1 Wis., and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., perhaps have “begun to narrow the gap and that we may see something come out of the budget conference,” he reported.
Johnson offered his remarks Monday during a meeting with constituents at his office here, a "Christmas Coffee" with the congressman. “Periodically we like to have open houses, coffees, where constituents are able to come in and get to know us on an informal basis and talk about issues important to them,” he said. “You can’t really do this job of representing the people of eastern and southeastern Ohio if you’re not willing to talk to them.”
Constituents discussed several issues with the congressman, he reported, among them the Affordable Care Act.
“There’s a number of concerns around the health care law but still, here in our region, jobs and the economy" remain the top concerns, along with regulatory reform and "keeping Washington out of the way of the opportunities coming around oil and natural gas," he said. "We’ve had a few veterans’ concerns as well and we address those, and we’ll have some follow up meetings with some of those folks.
Pat Righetti of Salem, a Vietnam era veteran, was among those who visited Johnson’s office to speak with the congressman. Righetti doesn’t use Veterans Administration facilities because his income is too high. He said he has trouble utilizing other potential benefits because he doesn’t have a V.A. card, such as having his status as a veteran put on his driver’s license, even though he has veterans’ tags on his car and motorcycle license plates. “I think it’s ridiculous for a veteran not to be able to do that,” he said.
Although driver’s licenses are issued by the state, Johnson told Righetti his question was a good one. “I’ll ask that question,” he said.
Johnson said he is hopeful Congress would continue to work hard next year, when the midterm elections will take place, on policies that will move the country forward on jobs and the economy, such as regulatory and tax reform.
“We’ve got one of the most onerous tax codes in the world. We want the American people to be able to keep more of what they earn [and] have a fairer, flatter, simpler tax code, one that begins to reel the federal government in, shrink the size of the federal government, and let American people do what they do, let our businesses do what they do best, create jobs. Those are some of the kinds of things that we’re looking at for next year,” he said. “It’s a shame that things get politicized but hopefully that will not slow us down in the work that we’re trying to do.”
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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