About 100 people spilled out of U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s Thursday night town hall in Salmon Creek, as her recent alignment with House conservatives has ignited criticism of the Skamania Democrat.
Perez, who is outspokenly bipartisan, won against Donald Trump-backed Republican Joe Kent in a district where a majority voted for Trump as president. Recently, she has come under fire for siding with Republicans on a controversial immigration bill, as well as inviting fellow members of Congress to join a Bible study held by an anti-LGBTQ evangelical.
Perez’s town hall at Three Creeks Community Library followed a tour of Evergreen High School earlier in the day and a visit to the Clark County Jail on Tuesday. Constituents overflowed the library meeting room and stood outside doors propped open so they could hear. Perez was occasionally interrupted by protesters, some of whom carried signs.
In the past few months, Perez has voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act, which restricts access for gender-affirming care for transgender children of military service members, and the Laken Riley Act, which mandates the federal detention of undocumented immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes.
Although Perez discussed everything from farmers to too-bright headlights, she spent most of the town hall addressing immigration, her reasoning for attending the Bible studies and how she’ll work under a new administration.
Bible study
The town hall drew a rowdy mix of supporters and critics.
On Wednesday, a Substack author released a letter signed by Perez and 12 male Republicans inviting other House members to a Bible study led by Ralph and Danielle Drollinger.
Ralph Drollinger, whom The New York Times has described as a “shadow diplomat,” is notorious 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 website.
In response to a question about her involvement in the study group, Perez confirmed she had signed the letter. Perez, whose father was an evangelical pastor, said her faith 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 said.
Conversations in the Bible study often devolve into a political debate, she said.
“I’m there to uphold my values and to say, ‘Use the whole (Bible); don’t cherry pick the parts you agree with,’” she said. “The Bible does say to take care of your neighbor, to love your neighbor.”
Perez’s office said she was aware that Ralph Drollinger holds views on the LGBTQ community with which she does not agree.
In a statement to The Columbian, Perez said being in the group has allowed her to stay connected to her faith while traveling and share a different perspective with her colleagues while finding common ground where 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 said.
Immigration
Many in the crowd had questions about her position on various immigration initiatives. Last week, Perez was one of 46 House 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 bill strips undocumented immigrants of due process rights.
Perez called the bill “far from perfect legislation” but pointed to an influx 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 said.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration revoked a temporary protected status extension for Venezuelans, which removes work authorizations and makes Venezuelan immigrants eligible for deportation.
Perez, whose father immigrated from Mexico, said she feels like temporary protected status is a “very necessary function” when the county has not passed “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 said. “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 new administration
Perez’s town hall, which was the 12th since her term began, came at the tail end of a week rife with change and uncertainty as the Trump administration issued a flurry of executive orders.
“This is obviously a time of really heightened anxiety,” Perez said. “It’s been a rodeo.”
A White House order, and later rescission, to freeze all federal grants and loans threw Clark County governments, schools and nonprofits in disarray.
The same day, the Trump administration sent an offer to federal employees to resign from their jobs by Feb. 6 and be paid through the end of September.
Perez has not stated a position on the funding freeze and didn’t do so during Thursday’s town hall. Twenty Southwest Washington nonprofits sent Perez a letter Thursday criticizing her for that silence.
However, Perez did scrutinize the offer for federal employees to resign, saying the move would hemorrhage talent.
“You’re not doing what you think you’re doing by just saying, ‘Get out,’” Perez said. “That’s not how I would run my business.”
She didn’t provide a direct answer when asked if she would support Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, in his push to remove fluoride from the nation’s public water supply.
The cities of Camas, Battle Ground and Longview are considering removing fluoride from drinking water, which is added to strengthen teeth and prevent bacterial growth.
“I think it would be a mistake to say because this person has ideas we don’t agree with, they’re all wrong,” Perez said about Kennedy.
Throughout her term, Perez — who lives in rural Skamania County — has said she will continue to push for replacement of the Interstate 5 Bridge, as well as work on addressing the cost of living, election reform and farm supports.
Perez said she’s committed to continuing to hold community town halls to create “a legislative process that has more normal people built into the platform.”
“We don’t want to be an afterthought,” she said.