About 100 folks spilled out of U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s Thursday evening city corridor in Salmon Creek, as her latest alignment with Home conservatives has ignited criticism of the Skamania Democrat.
Perez, who’s outspokenly bipartisan, gained in opposition to Donald Trump-backed Republican Joe Kent in a district the place a majority voted for Trump as president. Just lately, she has come beneath hearth for siding with Republicans on a controversial immigration invoice, in addition to inviting fellow members of Congress to hitch a Bible examine held by an anti-LGBTQ evangelical.
Perez’s city corridor at Three Creeks Neighborhood Library adopted a tour of Evergreen Excessive College earlier within the day and a go to to the Clark County Jail on Tuesday. Constituents overflowed the library assembly room and stood outdoors doorways propped open so they may hear. Perez was often interrupted by protesters, a few of whom carried indicators.
Previously few months, Perez has voted in favor of the Nationwide Protection Authorization Act, which restricts entry for gender-affirming take care of transgender youngsters of army service members, and the Laken Riley Act, which mandates the federal detention of undocumented immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes.
Though Perez mentioned every part from farmers to too-bright headlights, she spent many of the city corridor addressing immigration, her reasoning for attending the Bible research and the way she’ll work beneath a brand new administration.
Bible examine
The city corridor drew a rowdy mixture of supporters and critics.
On Wednesday, a Substack writer launched a letter signed by Perez and 12 male Republicans inviting different Home members to a Bible examine led by Ralph and Danielle Drollinger.
Ralph Drollinger, whom The New York Occasions has described as a “shadow diplomat,” is infamous for his anti-LGBTQ views.
“One need not look very far into Scripture to learn of God’s singular definition of marriage and His subsequent sweeping disapproval of same-sex marriage,” he states on the Capitol Ministries web site.
In response to a query about her involvement within the examine group, Perez confirmed she had signed the letter. Perez, whose father was an evangelical pastor, stated her religion is central to who she is.
“I think it’s so important that Christians on the left are engaged in staying in the church,” she stated.
Conversations within the Bible examine typically devolve right into a political debate, she stated.
“I’m there to uphold my values and to say, ‘Use the whole (Bible); don’t cherry pick the parts you agree with,’” she stated. “The Bible does say to take care of your neighbor, to love your neighbor.”
Perez’s workplace stated she was conscious that Ralph Drollinger holds views on the LGBTQ neighborhood with which she doesn’t agree.
In an announcement to The Columbian, Perez stated being within the group has allowed her to remain linked to her religion whereas touring and share a special perspective along with her colleagues whereas discovering widespread floor the place they agree in Scripture.
“These are men who are committed to maintaining strong marriages and raising good kids, and who are trying to maintain an inner life and hold themselves to a higher standard,” Perez stated.
Immigration
Many within the crowd had questions on her place on numerous immigration initiatives. Final week, Perez was considered one of 46 Home Democrats to vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act, which mandates federal detention of undocumented immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes.
Protesters yelled that the invoice strips undocumented immigrants of due course of rights.
Perez referred to as the invoice “far from perfect legislation” however pointed to an inflow of fentanyl into the U.S.
“It’s important that our law enforcement have the resources they need to move bad actors out. … These cartels are well served by a broken immigration system, and we cannot allow that to continue,” Perez stated.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration revoked a brief protected standing extension for Venezuelans, which removes work authorizations and makes Venezuelan immigrants eligible for deportation.
Perez, whose father immigrated from Mexico, stated she appears like momentary protected standing is a “very necessary function” when the county has not handed “substantive immigration reform through Congress in a long time.”
“I think it’s a mistake to do a wholesale revocation, as opposed to building the capacity to look at people as individuals,” she stated. “Your access, your status here, should not be dependent on whether or not you can find a lawyer who is going to help you navigate the system, but rather on the particulars of your case itself.”
A brand new administration
Perez’s city corridor, which was the twelfth since her time period started, got here on the tail finish of every week rife with change and uncertainty because the Trump administration issued a flurry of govt orders.
“This is obviously a time of really heightened anxiety,” Perez stated. “It’s been a rodeo.”
A White Home order, and later rescission, to freeze all federal grants and loans threw Clark County governments, colleges and nonprofits in disarray.
The identical day, the Trump administration despatched a suggestion to federal staff to resign from their jobs by Feb. 6 and be paid by the tip of September.
Perez has not said a place on the funding freeze and didn’t accomplish that throughout Thursday’s city corridor. Twenty Southwest Washington nonprofits despatched Perez a letter Thursday criticizing her for that silence.
Nonetheless, Perez did scrutinize the supply for federal staff to resign, saying the transfer would hemorrhage expertise.
“You’re not doing what you think you’re doing by just saying, ‘Get out,’” Perez stated. “That’s not how I would run my business.”
She didn’t present a direct reply when requested if she would help Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who’s nominated to steer the Division of Well being and Human Providers, in his push to take away fluoride from the nation’s public water provide.
The cities of Camas, Battle Floor and Longview are contemplating eradicating fluoride from consuming water, which is added to strengthen tooth and forestall bacterial development.
“I think it would be a mistake to say because this person has ideas we don’t agree with, they’re all wrong,” Perez stated about Kennedy.
All through her time period, Perez — who lives in rural Skamania County — has stated she is going to proceed to push for substitute of the Interstate 5 Bridge, in addition to work on addressing the price of residing, election reform and farm helps.
Perez stated she’s dedicated to persevering with to carry neighborhood city halls to create “a legislative process that has more normal people built into the platform.”
“We don’t want to be an afterthought,” she stated.