The Republican-controlled House of Representatives works three days each week, Tuesday through Thursday. Each federal holiday is a five-day vacation, euphemistically called a “constituent work week,” supposedly to be used for consultation with the folks they are elected to represent. A recent email response from Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, said: “As the federal representative for Southwest Washington, it is imperative that I understand the opinions and concerns from our region’s citizens.”
Rep. Herrera Beutler has another monthlong vacation … I mean “constituent work week” … planned from Aug. 5 to Sept. 6. Perhaps that would be a good time to break her streak of over three years with zero Town Halls. Her “coffee events” are poorly advertised and mostly held when working people cannot attend.
Even as a former electoral opponent, Herrera Beutler represents me, so here are questions I would ask:
Why did she vote to borrow another $60 billion from China, most recently for Hurricane Sandy? Does she support background checks to prevent terrorists from buying firearms at gun shows or through the Internet? Why has she voted 37 times to take heath care coverage away from my children by supporting repeal of the Affordable Care Act? Will she vote for illegal alien amnesty? Or will Herrera Beutler just enjoy yet another month of vacation and ignore the people?
