I just wanted to say a few words, but thank you for coming to this afternoon. It's hugely important
that we use our voices and speak to a person who's not even here. But I would tell you I'm with a 50-51
group. We've been doing a lot of organizing the protests on the square. We have banner drops on the
bridge pretty frequently. And we use various topics, depending on what's happening.
issues with ICE or issues with voting irregularly are out there. I encourage everybody. I think what
gives me a lot of hope is that I bet all of you are involved with something and doing something. And
I think it's super important that we're doing it at this time. I just heard that Marco Rubio is now
blaming all protests
on Cuban influence. And that we are terrorists. Communists. And that's kind of frightening. That we
have a Secretary of State saying that we are working, Cuba is working with us. And he'll firstly say
there are paid protesters. Go wait for my check. And nobody, raise your hand if you ever got a cent
for protesting.
But I think it's super, super important that we keep this pressure on all the time, every day. There's
an organization called Five Calls that you can put on your phone. And it's a wonderful little app because
it's got many, many, many issues on it. And you can choose the issue that you want. And it puts you
right to your representation. So you don't have to bother dialing it.
or doing anything like that. Quite handy. So I just, again, we're going to be starting at 3.30, but
I just wanted to really thank you for all you do. And I know I was talking to somebody else and they
were saying how discouraged. She was feeling that all the study we do doesn't seem to have any impact.
My answer to her was,
Imagine what it would look like if none of us was doing anything. We have to reach out to our kids who
are in the older audience here. Our kids are young. My kids are in their 40s, and they're super busy.
And they have kids. So I think it's really important that just to know we are doing something. Our voices
are heard.
And keep the good work up. Don't give up. Thanks. This event was organized by 5051. And it's a nationwide
organization, primarily known for organizing demonstrations and banner drops.
We're past that point right now. We're into the election season. And town halls were traditionally a
regular part of American civil life. It was an important part of democracy that representatives would
come and face their constituents, explain their actions, explain their voters, explain their votes.
back to, even before we had the Constitution, back to colonial days. And in New England, they would
regularly have town halls where everybody came, and they made decisions collectively. But we're too
big to do that now. We can't just call a town hall and decide how we want to run things. But what we
have is a Constitution. That is the point of the Constitution, and that is
the great privilege that we have won for ourselves, the privilege of self-determination, the privilege
of self-government. And it only works if we take that responsibility seriously. So that's why you have
been invited here today. This is a very necessary part of democracy.
It's not just for publicity. It's not just for fun. It's not just to get together with friends and neighbors.
Although, that's good. There's nothing wrong with that. But this, we were the first, what those would
call, true democracy. In other words, it wasn't a parliamentary system with
a king that was in a system where the aristocracy ruled everything. No, this was the first, the first
in the world, true democracy. And that was reflected in our Declaration of Independence and also in
our Constitution. So it's up to us to defend those rights. No one is going to do it for us. It's up to us.
And we have to accept that responsibility as citizens of a free democracy. So I hope that you understand
why you have been invited here today. We have a serious problem in this country right now with a Congress
that does not take their responsibilities seriously. They become a rubber stamp. Amen.
for anything that we, okay, I won't get into too much, I'll pump myself. But it's up to us. It's not
enough to just get mad at the television, yell at the television, okay. It takes more than that. You've
gotta get off the couch, out of the living room, and talking to people.
and finding out everything that she can. Right now, our representative has not come to any town halls.
She has not heard from any of her constituents. Maybe she gets letters. Has anyone written her a letter
and gotten anything back that reflected a form letter? Send a form letter. That's all she cares about.
That's obviously what she thinks about you.
So just think about that for a while and why you're here and the power that you have in your vote. But
not just the vote. You're all part of a community. You know people. You know where you live. You know
your neighbors. You know your friends. You know the civic group that you belong to. So it's time to
get out of your shell, stand up, say, this is what I believe in, and this is what I think needs to happen.
We have representatives from various civic organizations here today. And I hope you can take the time
to talk to them, because they are all involved in some way. But all it takes is for you to step forward
and say, yes, tell me what you're doing.
Tell me what I can do. No one is going to do it for us. It's up to us to take on that responsibility.
And we'll be getting into just a few minutes. So think about what questions you have. We've all got
that pink slip. I know it's hard to get up in front of an audience and remember what it was you were
going to say. You get nervous, and the thought leaves your head.
So that's why you have a chance to write it down. I've had an extensive experience teaching, so I'm
used to doing this. But it wasn't easy to do this and to learn how to handle the attention of the classroom.
That was hard. So I know that a lot of people, when they get up here and they see the microphone, they're
going to freeze or forget what it was they were going to say, get nervous.
You can write it out. Think about what you're going to say. Take a deep breath. Collect your thoughts.
Relax and realize that everybody here is here to do something. And they really do want to hear from
you. The other reason to fill out those pink slips is that I'm going to collect them at the end. And
they're going to be sent to Erin Houch's office. So she will follow.
And this is what she was concerned about. It's not just paperwork. It's not just performance. This is
the only way to get through to her. And to do this more than once, OK? This congressional district goes
all the way now to the Ohio River. This is a template. This is a run-through for other counties
within the congressional district to step forward and do something similar. So this is being recorded
today on Community Action Television through the library. So it's going to be available on YouTube and
also local cable. It does matter that you're here today. So whatever you have to say, there's
communicated to many more people than just the people sitting here today. So I want you to think about
that. Yes, it may be hard to get up in front of a microphone, but it does matter. It will matter. And
it's what we have. We have our voices. They can't shut us up. They would like to. They would like to
tell you that you don't matter.
that what you think doesn't matter, that you're all being controlled by outside elements, that you can't
think for yourself. We know that's not true. We can see what's in front of us. We can see a never-ending
war starting right now. We know what's going on in the war. We know what's going on with his corrupt deals
Where he is making billions, his children are making millions, and yet we can't afford public services
like education, like health care, like housing. We don't deserve these things because we're not part
of the endowed. We're not part of the correct health structure. What do we do about that? We just can't
give up. We have to keep fighting.
We have to keep opening our mouths. We have to keep talking about what we see in front of our own eyes.
That's what matters. And thank you for coming today.
is going to be our kind of master of ceremonies today. Does everybody know about his podcast,
Who's Left? Anyone ever heard his podcast? OK. He's great. I love his voice. And he just has this really
wonderful, relaxed, humorous way of kind of viewing the people. So this is how it works today. You get
to come up and ask a question. It's two minutes. We have a timekeeper here.
And the yellow card means you have 30 seconds left, and the red card means that you have to stop, because
we have a lot of people here. It's going to take a while to get through all of this. So I hope you understand
those time constraints. Anything else I need to say? Go ahead. Oh, wait. Go ahead. You can go again.
Please. He understands the importance of speaking up
what you think and learning what other people know about and are willing to share. Anything else I need
to explain here? Hi, everybody. So as Carolyn was saying, and thank you for the lovely introduction.
as they thought of me Mr. Sears on Tuesday, and interesting for today's event. So, as Carolyn said,
my name is, yeah, my name is Scott Eric Rogers, and I am a host and creator of the Who's Left podcast
that is spelled H-O-O-S left, like who's your left, and also the founder of Progressive Indiana Network,
a independent media project dedicated to hosting and amplifying progressive voices by researchers, activists,
podcasters and other content creators here in the Hoosier State, and you can find out more about us
at progressiveindian.net. Now, as Carolyn was saying, the town hall is one of the oldest traditions
in American democracy. It's where citizens bring their concerns directly to those who represent them.
Whether we agree or disagree politically, we all deserve a chance to have our voices heard. Now, our
Our chair here today is with me, has been reserved for our Congresswoman Erin Houchin. We sent invitations
electronically and by certified mail, I understand, to both her DC office and her office down in Salem,
but have received no response. This is typical. Houchin was first elected to this seat in 2022, has
now completed nearly two full terms, and has never
held an open, in-person town hall where she takes unscripted questions from her constituents. In this
district now, that's not to say she doesn't come home to southern Indiana. She returns to visit safe
spaces, hobnob with donors, roll elbows with the very important people. Apparently, that's not us. But
she refuses to field questions from her constituents.
So listen, since she doesn't visit us, and you haven't met her, most likely, who is Erin Houchin? Well,
before serving in Congress, Representative Houchin spent eight years in the Indiana State Senate, where
she took a reputation as one of the legislature's most conservative members. And since heading to Washington,
she has continued that approach
by supporting the Republican leadership's agenda on issues including abortion, immigration,
taxes, environmental regulation, or lack thereof, and federal spending. Now, any of us believe those
priorities do not reflect the needs of a large number of Hoosiers. We believe government should protect
a woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions, strengthen public education,
expand access to affordable healthcare, invest in clean energy, defend social security and Medicare,
and create an economy that works for working families, not just the Epstein class. Representative Houchin
has consistently taken positions opposite those. She has supported strict abortion restrictions. She
has opposed many climate initiatives,
She has favored extending tax policies that primarily benefit the wealthiest Americans. She has backed
efforts to reduce spending on many domestic programs. And she has been a reliable supporter of President
Trump's agenda and that of the Republican leadership. And reasonable people can disagree about these
issues. That's fine. That's what democracy is all about. But democracy also depends on accountability.
elected officials work for the people, not the other way around. Instituents, that is us, should have
opportunities to ask questions, hear explanations for difficult, though it may express concerns face-to-face.
And since Representative Pouchin is not here this afternoon, we will do the next best thing. We will
talk about her record, discuss the issues that matter to our communities, and give participants
an opportunity to ask the questions they would have asked
if she had accepted our invitation. This isn't about attacking a person. It's about examining the decisions
that affect our lives, our families, and our futures. And whether you're a Democrat, a Republican, a
libertarian, independent, socialist, whatever, or simply a concerned citizen, thank you for taking the
time to be engaged. Democracy is strong when citizens show up, stay informed,
and hold every elected official, regardless of party, accountable. Now, Carolyn was explaining these
little big slips here, and you know, you see kids, back in the day, I'm sure most of you guys know this,
but we used to have this sort of thing before tax and emails and voicemails. They'd call in some of
those places of business and they weren't there. The person answering the phone, which was probably
attached to the wall, of course, wrote down a message
and maybe even cursive, to give the recipients a sense while you were out. And I'd like folks to go
ahead and fill these out. We will come up and cue up, raise your hands. And you will come up right here
so we get you on camera. We only got the one leg today, unfortunately. But let me give you a little
demonstration here to begin.
of Congresswoman. While you were out, over 90,000 Hoosiers lost access to food assistance. While you
were out, hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers saw their health insurance premiums rise by 25% to 30%.
Indiana's own insurance regulators approved an average 27% hike for next year. And for Hoosiers who
lost their subsidies entirely,
Some saw their rates double, triple, or worse. While you were out, hundreds of Indiana families have
seen loved ones rounded up and detained just by having no criminal record. And we put the bill. While
you were out, a dozen rural hospitals in Indiana, including the one in your hometown of Salem, were
officially classified at risk of closing. Senate Democrats put that list
directly in front of Congress, warning it would shove financially fragile hospitals over the edge. And
you knew. And you voted for it anyway. While you were out, Hoosiers saw the utility bill spike by 20%
to 25% while power hungry data centers multiplied across their communities, data centers that guzzled
tens of millions of gallons of water, gobbled up farmland and wetlands and paid next to nothing.
in return in Indiana has exempted them from state sales taxes entirely, a giveaway expected to cost
this state over $2 billion. Now, I just laid out a bunch of numbers, a high-level view of just some
of the damage that's been done on Mrs. Housh's watch, but this is a mere accounting, a skeleton with
no meat, a summary without emotion. You out there will bring these numbers to life.
Your stories will add color to this outline. Again, the purpose of today's event is to share your experiences
with the Congresswoman. Ask your questions, vent your frustrations. So again, I will invite you to do
just that. Fill out these forms. We're going to go ahead and collect them at the end of the day. And
we will send them on to her office. We might not be able to make her listen. We might not be able to
make her care.
We can't make ourselves impossible to ignore. We'd like to get us started today. All right. I have a
whole lot of questions. Hello, everybody. I have a lot of questions. Can you introduce yourself? Oh,
I'm sorry.
Rick Patrick, I live in Nashville in Brown County. Brad Meyer fan. Todd Blanch, Acting Attorney General
and Attorney General nominee hopeful, only recently and grudgingly met for a single hour with Epstein
Abuse Survivors. About a year ago, Mr. Blanch, in his role as Deputy Attorney General, met for nine
hours over two days with Delane Maxwell, a convicted sex trafficker for Epstein and others,
and facilitated her move to a minimum security prison. Given your commitment to anti-trafficking legislation
dating back to your days in the Indiana State Senate, do you find this disturbing? As an advocate for
online safety and child protection, extended foster care, and vulnerable youth support, if re-elected,
will you commit to ending once and for all the continued stonewalling and cover-up of the Epstein files
and work to deliver justice to the survivors?
You know, Mrs. Houchin likes to tout her record as someone who cares for and protects children. She
was a case manager here in DCS in Indiana before being elected to the state senate. And as you said,
she championed this anti-trafficking legislation. And yet, and yet, now she would say, she supported
the release of the Epstein files. She was one that voted in favor of the Epstein files transparency
act, but I would note
only after it was apparent that there were not enough votes to keep these things under wraps. And it
was very clear that she had to, for fear of looking like, well, who else would like to come up and share
their story? Thank you. I'm Susan Davis. I live in the county of Wilmington. Representative Houchin.
Your vote for President Trump's 2026 budget, which has been described as the largest transfer of wealth
in our country, has meant the following in Congressional District 9. 1,708, 119 of your constituents
on Medicaid are at risk of losing their coverage.
29,000 of your constituents who receive coverage under the ACA will see their average premium go up
by $720 a year. That's a 41% increase. 54,000 of your constituents count on the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program or SNAP to put food on the table.
As a Christian with government health care provided to you, how can you ignore Matthew 25, verse 4,
where Jesus teaches that serving people in need is the same as serving him directly? There's knock-on
effects from this.
And again, this is someone who touts her support for children and with the reduction in the Medicaid
rolls, with the reduction in the food assistance.
can, you know, those numbers are used to determine the eligibility for free and reduced school lunches
in schools. And I want to say, somewhere in the neighborhood of 650,000 Hoosier kids are at risk of
losing access to free and reduced lunches in their school because of that reduction that's in addition
to whether they are using Medicaid or SNAP in their own home. Very disappointing.
Certainly not taking care of the least of these, as Susan mentioned. Who else would like to come up?
That's Gare. I know Gare. All right. Ladies and gentlemen, I go on my right side of Bloomington. Dear
Representative Alchin, a quote from your left side. Aaron is a committed fiscal conservative and has
a track record to prove it.
And as a champion for Indiana's balanced budget amendment, she's bringing that same fiscal discipline
to Washington. The big, beautiful bill that you passed was estimated to blow up the federal budget.
The nonpartisan congressional budget office estimates that the effect of the big, beautiful bill on
the federal budget is $3.8 trillion over 10 years.
If you take this and divide this by the number of Americans, that is $11,000 for each one of you in
the room and all the other Americans that live in this country. Since we're not planning to pay this
debt tomorrow, we have to think about our future generations. The estimated over the next 10 years,
36 million Americans will be born. For each one of those 36 million Americans to be born over the next
10 years, that's a staggering $100,000.
just for the privilege of being an American. Could you please explain to us how you can advertise yourself
as a fiscal conservative, and that you have contributed to blowing up the federal debt? What kind of
discipline have you shown by helping to blow up the federal debt? The congressional budget office also
estimates the distributional impact of the big, beautiful bill. The top 10% of incomers in this country
they will see their resources over the next four years go up by two and a half percent. At the bottom
percent, at the bottom 10 percent, the 10 percent poorest of our brothers and sisters, their resources
will go down over the next four years by three and a half percent. That's mostly because we're cutting
SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and similar programs. There's a plethora of social science research projects, research
that shows that these are not just NANDOX, these are not just dollars blowing you in.
these are investments to help people have a better life over the long term. Thank you. You know, even
if you're not a fiscal honk like, say, myself, it is certainly rich for how she could call herself some
sort of fiscal conservative while voting for budgets like these. And it's not like the money isn't there.
The rich folks have it all. And she signed up on this bill, which gave massive tax cuts to the wealthiest
among us. Now, do I have any billionaires in here? The one big, beautiful bill is after them? Yeah,
I think so. Does anybody have a story about how the big, beautiful bill
has offended them personally, or maybe will affect them in the near future if everything goes through
as stated. Come on up. Share your story. I have a lookbook in a long-term care facility. Okay. Do you
have anything written down? Not in that regard. Okay.
Yeah, what you said, my concern is the Medicaid tests and what's going to happen to our nursing home
residents. Given Donald Trump's continuing escalation of the Iran war and his ever-increasing demands
for more funding, at what point would you demand a defined endgame and strict accounting for war spending?
Congresswoman Houchin.
A lot of folks here in this room probably aren't feeling the effects of this war the same way folks
in Iran are, maybe, exactly, or our troops in the Middle East. We've seen, we're up to 18 now, U.S.
service builders have been killed in this conflict that is illegal that they call for. They're lying
about the number of casualties.
Just this week, they got caught producing from 18 to 14 the number of war dead and then making up an
excuse about lying. They're also lying about injuries that have been sustained in this war. Equipment
losses, you name it, I don't know if we're going to get an accurate accounting of what has taken place
while Trump and Pete Exxon are overseeing the Pentagon.
And not to mention, the Pentagon struggles with accounting as it is. They haven't passed an audit in
years and are years away from doing so. We've got someone else who'd like to share their story. Why
don't you come on up? Hi, I'm Peg Houseman, also from Wilmington. Good afternoon, Representative Houch.
You want to go out, Peg?
I'd like to ask you about environmental policy and your support for the Lower Energy Costs Act.
For years, you've told us that this bill is a way to boost U.S. energy production, lower energy costs,
and rein in federal regulations that supposedly get in the way of economic growth. Of course, we all
like the idea of U.S. energy dependence, cheaper power, less rent, and pay. But would this law even
give us those results? And if it does, what's the price?
The bill focuses on reproducing more fossil fuel by, for example, mandating oil and gas leases on public
land, streamlining permits for mining pipelines, and making it illegal to ban fracking. But if you want
cheaper energy, why would you go with fossil fuels? Renewables cost a lot less, even though they've
gotten much less help from the government in subsidies.
Last year, solar power was 41% cheaper, and wind was 53% cheaper than the cheapest fossil fuels. And
even costs for battery storage, which is really important for nighttime energy, they have gone down
93% since 2010. That's why the adoption of renewables keeps going up in the US, in spite of federal
attempts to discourage it. Can I have three seconds left?
Okay, well fossil fuels are really unhealthy, and they also raise the level of greenhouse gases in the
air, which means global warming gets worse year after year. So what does your support for this legislation
say to you about your priorities? Is it really a choice between cutting the protection so we can have
more fossil fuel production, or investing in protecting our air and our water, our public health? Why
should we believe that you've chosen the right priorities?
That actually ties in very nicely with the last question about that Iran war in the Pentagon. It's a
war fought over essentially fossil fuels, right? So it costs more than just our failure to innovate
in terms of renewable energy, in terms of adopting renewable energy. It's costing lives, it's costing
talent and treasure and love of our service members and, you know,
China is eating our lunch when it comes to renewable energies. You know, so much for a strong national
defense and a strong national profile that Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi herself is supporting. And along the
lines, it's not just that she supports the fossil fuels. She would say that she supports carbon-free energy.
She's a big fan of nuclear. They want to have small modular nuclear reactors here in Indiana. We're
apparently being slated to serve as a gig thing for this unproven technology. Anybody want to own one
of these in their backyard? I think so. I think so. Just would like to come up here and share.
I live in Bloomington, Indiana. I have a question for Erin Houchin. She was a staffer for Dan Coats
in 2011 to 2014, and I'm going to address that here. Former Director of National Security Dan Coats
clashed with President Donald Trump over a Russian election interference, expressed deep private concerns
regarding Vladimir Putin, and was frequently sidelined on key diplomatic decisions. Coats publicly affirmed
Russian election medley? Coats was not informed of the details regarding Trump's private meeting with
Putin at the 2018 Helsinki summit? Dan Coats resigned in August 2019 and cited deep suspicions that
Vladimir Putin had something on Donald Trump. They are announcing you worked as a staff member to Dan
Coats from 2011 to 2014, while Coats was Indiana's U.S. Senator. Do you believe Putin has something on Trump
and that Russia meddled in the 2016 election to help Trump, and you believe that this assistance is
continuing today? Yes. Yes. Aaron claims to be a strong supporter of Ukraine. So we'll see. But alas,
we saw the president just
Within just the last couple weeks, talk about election interference. And he said that China was interfered
in the 2020 election. Venezuela interfered in the 2020 election. And he released all sorts of documents
that supposedly prove this news sledge they didn't. What these documents that he pointed to didn't suggest
is that Russia has and is still interfering in US elections. He conveniently admitted that, Eric, I
want your wife.
I believe you were next one to come up. Well, thank you Representative Halton for not being here. My
name is Susan Rennie and I'm from Monroe County. Today is the 36th anniversary of the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
And if you know anything about what's happening in Washington, DC, Representative Houchin, then you
know that it's under attack. A recent memo from the Department of Justice is signaling that the federal
government will no longer enforce the immigration mandate under the ADA, which puts thousands of Hoosiers
at risk of institutionalization.
something we've been working on for the last 40 years. People are now able to live independently in
their community with support. And now the federal government is going to allow states to start
institutionalization again. It's going to shift the burden from integrated care into costly state-run
institutions. Those institutions actually cost four to five times more
and support in the community. So, Representative, given your commitment to fiscal responsibility, how
can Congress support states in maintaining cost-effective community-based care for your constituents
with disabilities? That's a really important question. I actually did a podcast episode just the last
couple weeks
about this with a couple of advocates for disability rights. And one of the things we talked about is
if this administration keeps going down this path, what they're doing is repeating the eugenics policies
that we had in this country from the early 1900s and onward. Even Indiana, it turns out, was a leader,
a pioneer in eugenics, not exactly a proud in history. To Hamilton, we see Indiana history repeating itself
again and again, I don't know, next weekend up in Fishers, Michael Beckwith is hosting a, what amounts
to a modern day clan rally with former border patrol commander Greg Robino. There will be, yeah, who
was right, there will be a, quite a large counter protest, I understand, on that day. Did they find
a place to do it? Because I heard they were having trouble finding a place.
a place to actually host them. Well, they're not announcing it because it's a private gathering. They
don't want folks to know where they're going to be so we can protest. But there is a protest, I understand,
in a park out there. Lots of information for that available on Facebook. Is anybody coming up there
next Saturday? I am. It's very important for Hoosiers to make our
voices heard that we will not tolerate a return to the 1920s here in the 2020s. Who else wants to go
ahead and come up? I saw Dan back there. That's great sharpness.
My name is Daniel Siegel. I live in Bloomington here, and I'm also on the State Coordinating Committee
for Jewish Voice for Peace. Congresswoman, if you're not familiar with the Jewish Voice for Peace, we
have nearly three quarters of a million active members and supporters. We are the fastest growing Jewish
identified organization in the country, and we are the world's largest
and designs Jewish organizations. In Palestine and Israel, Congresswoman, some 14.5 million of our fellow
human beings live. Roughly half of them are Jewish and have full citizenship rights. The other half
are Palestinian. Two and a half million of them have second-class citizenship rights.
For instance, they live in the 48 borders, but are restricted from living in over 90% of the lands,
have restricted rights of movement and speech. The other five and a half million Palestinians are not
citizens and are daily denied their freedom and equality by the Jewish supremacist Zionist state. You
have always supported this Jewish supremacist state, and since October 23,
You have supported the genocide of this Jewish supremacist state against our Palestinian brothers and
sisters. How do you justify your support for genocide? My Jewish parents, may their memories be for
blessings, brought me up to know that never again meant for all human beings.
for everybody. How do you justify your support for the genocide? You have voted for every funding, every
weapon of mass murder to be distributed to the Israeli state to kill more and more Palestinians. And
that has taken money away from what we needed here for Medicare for all, low income housing, universal
low income housing. How do you justify your anti-life,
pro-Palestinian faith policies. It is a moral obligation to unequivocally defend Israel and I find it
ironic that she used the word moral there because it's clear to anybody on the set of working eyes that
what is happening there is immoral.
You know, it turns out, I've got an APEC tracker up here right now, our congresswoman has taken nearly
$35,000 in funding from pro-Israel political action committees. Her humanity can be bought relatively
cheaply, it appears. That's not that much for a congresswoman. Disappointing for sure. I'd like to...
question to the congresswoman, a politician who has been in politics for many, many years in the state
before going to federal. My name is Tommy Allison, also a retired politician. From one politician to
the other, I want to ask how you can send out
I am older, so I'm getting mailings from my congresswoman to seniors. And the latest one was how much
she has done for seniors, how much she cares about seniors. And there's something that has stuck in
my cross about that particular concern.
Because during COVID, there were many, many deaths in the nursing homes of our seniors, our parents,
the families could not get their parents out of the nursing homes. And it was not only the patients
that were trapped and had extreme deaths, but the staff as well.
And this is something that she wasn't aware of. It was something that she knew about. Most of the nursing
homes Medicaid pays for. That's our tax monies. It comes through federal to the state, and the state
must oversee that payment.
And part of that, it means that they must live up to staffing levels, or they can be sued. The state
had always obeyed that, had law obeying that the parents, the children that had people in nursing homes,
that they could sue if their staffing levels were not
kept up. She was on the policy committee for the Republican Party. Behind the scenes, they decide what
bills even go to the super majority. And they decide what goes forward doesn't go forward. So she decided
what went forward. And what went forward was that the state changed the law and said that
The people could not sue the owners of the nursing home. And that meant that there is no responsibility
in the nursing homes at all. Before that, the state looked the other way as far as the staffing. They
would notify, and when the state examiners came by, they were fully staffed for that day.
But now there is no recourse whatsoever. And so we have her to be explained why she can say she cares
about seniors when our seniors in the nursing homes are on Medicaid and there's no other choice. So
she's responsible. And she should stand and take that blame.
Thank you so much. I can attest to this personally. My wife is one of those nurses who will work in
a long-term care facility during COVID. She still works in one of those long-term care facilities.
Let me tell you about the staffing levels. They are running tight. They do never have enough hands on
deck, certainly not as many as they need on a day to day basis. And, you know, in certain states, this
is maybe not something this is an option,
change because she's a federal level, but a state like Indiana is a right-to-work state. And we do not
have much in the way of nursing unions like they do in states like California and Massachusetts,
for example, where they can collectively bargain for mandatory patient-to-nurse ratios. We don't have
that here. And along the lines of Organized Labor, I want to say
Congressman Mnuchin has a 0% lifetime record from AFL-CIO. And on the topic of seniors, I hope to be
one someday. And I hope to have social security available to me when I retire, if I ever get to retire.
And these cuts that she voted for in this one big, beautiful bill will
You know, they say they want to protect Social Security, right? Well, I understand that the Congressional
Budget Office, they themselves, not exactly a partisan think tank, said that the insolvency date for
Social Security
moved up about a year from the passage of this bill. Any folks here on social security know that are
currently a lot? Has anybody seen effects of this bill yet? And some questions? So far, so good. Or
any other social security questions? Anybody want to talk about social security?
No takers there? Anybody else want to share their story or questions for the Congresswoman? I see one
in the back. I see a couple in the back. See, that's how they pitch it. The people that are already
in it aren't going to mail it. They always put in the cuss, so they kick in down the road.
and I've followed your office so many times, they recognize my voice. But today, I want to talk about
ICE. No one disputes that our right to have secure borders and enforcement of immigration. But how you
solve them matters. I come to speak about my grandson who goes to Fairview School.
I went to the Christmas program this year. The principal there cares about diversity. He in fact celebrates
diversity. And it brought tears to my eyes when I saw all those kids there, some of them going to bed
at night, fearing that their parents might get arrested or taken away. No child
And my grandson should not have to fear for his classmates. Aaron Houchin doesn't seem to care about
that. No child should have to fear about their parents being arrested. We are now witnessing ICE murdering
American citizens on the street. This is not okay. There is nothing okay about that.
And the FBI has just come out and said, we're not going to investigate that anymore. What that does,
it gives a license to everybody, to kill anybody on the streets that they don't like. This is not okay.
Ms. Houghton, what are you going to do about that?
Now, Ms. Hutchins doesn't appear to do anything about that. She is a big fan of President Trump's immigration
policy and talks about how it's, you know, raining in these criminal aliens. You know, the majority
of the people they're bringing in has no violent criminal record. And, you know, crossing the border
illegally is a civil offense. It certainly doesn't warrant the kind of
Why are you with a nun? For a police officer. A nun. They, like, detained a nun. Yeah, yeah. Well, and
they're hiring whoever off the streets. We saw this recently in Maine, the guy that killed this man.
The wrong person, by the way. And they've got the wrong people many times, and they're trigger-happy.
They wouldn't pass a background check in any normal circumstances. And this stupid bill gave
The Department of Homeland Security, over $170 billion, they would be one of the most generously equipped
militaries on the face of the earth if they were their own military force. Concerning, to say the least,
I saw another hand over there. You want to come on up?
I'm going to have a hard time following two really good speakers, because Carolyn's comments about nerves
were about me. I am a constituent of Aaron Houghton's here in Monroe County. And I'd also like to talk
about an issue that is trying to find a solution to a made up problem. I have changed my name twice
due to marriage. How many women in here have changed their names due to marriage? Yeah, lots of us.
Never do that again.
Good afternoon, Representative Houghton. I'm going to talk to you about voting rights and your support
for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Save Act, legislation that you co-sponsored and voted to
advance in the House, including last week when Representative House Speaker Johnson tried to hide parts
of an increasingly separate House bill and resolution. Do you know about that? Yeah. So the bill would
require people registering to vote in federal elections to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship
such as a qualifying passport, a birth certificate, or other documentation, or other approved evidence
of citizenship. No one disputes that only American citizens should be voting in the federal elections.
That is already federal law. Supporters of the SAVE Act argue that it closes potential loopholes in
the voter registration and strengthens public confidence in elections. The bill also directs states
to verify citizenship and remove non-citizens from voter registration roles.
But in fact, documented cases of non-citizen castings, ballots, and federal elections is exceedingly
rare. And the bill will create new obstacles for eligible citizens who lack ready access to the required
documents. Roughly half of Americans do not possess a current passport. Some voters do not have access
to certified birth certificates. And others have changed their names through marriage or divorce, creating
doctor education issues that
complicate their voter registration even when citizenship is not a question. These burdens would fall
on lawful voters, not on individuals attempting to vote illegally. In fact, those who are less likely
to have access to paperwork or funds to maintain a passport are disproportionately low-income and people
of color. It is not a coincidence that this bill affects them most because guess how they vote, right?
Sorry, I know. I'll round it up. My question is this, Representative Thompson. If existing federal law
already prohibits non-citizens from voting and instances of non-citizens voting are exceedingly uncommon,
why do you support imposing new documentation requirements that prevent eligible Americans from voting?
And I would like you to answer that.
This woman isn't just a fan of the same act, she is a co-sponsor of the same act, which should more
accurately be the suppression in voter elimination act.
You know, put some numbers behind it. The Chair for American Progress said 69 million married women
whose current legal name may not match their birth certificate could be affected. And you mentioned
the hurdles for low-income folks. 60 million rural voters could face travel burdens under the bill's
in-person requirements, right? So what does this mean? You have to go to the DMV.
or wherever to get your ID, the post office, or a passport. You have to present all these various documents.
All of these things cost time and money. So what is the safe act in that case? It is a poll tax. And
a poll tax is a historical way to suppress the vote and suppress a certain kind of vote if you know
what we mean. Now, I know I saw it.
Why don't you come on up and tell us or ask the Congresswoman? Representative, why are you choosing
to ignore the reality that Trump and his family are using the office of the presidency to enrich themselves?
pulled up on that for a reason over the line of memory, but I want to say President Trump became something
like 2.2 billion dollars richer just within the past year. That is not normal. I want to say he made
more money in the last year than the last 18 presidents combined.
I think I saw that somewhere. It's clearly corruption. It is clearly self-dealing. Have you seen the
folks in the administration be accused of gaming the market with these prediction betting apps? Those
things should be legal in the first place, but they're very clearly used to engage
self-dealing when it comes to things like war, market manipulation. The man goes out and tells people
to buy a Dell computer after he bought up many, many shares of Dell stock. It is a bald-faced corruption
any way you look at it. Who else wants to ask a question of the Congresswoman Ringer?
My name is Pat, and I am in the room having a question. First of all, I have one comment on the questions.
I hate to go to the doctor and ask, when you go to the doctor, they say, not how you're feeling, but
what insurance do you have? Given the rising cost of health care, including mental health and medications,
do you consider health care a right or a privilege?
I know the Congresswoman says she's out to protect Medicaid and Medicare for people who truly need it.
She's very concerned about things like waste, fraud, and abuse. It turns out all the waste and fraud
typically occurs higher up the food chain. It's not the end users, it's the providers, the kind of people
who are donors to her campaign. Why don't you come on up and ask the Congresswoman
I don't really have a question for the congresswoman. I want to thank her. Because she is the reason
I am running for her seat. She ignores me like she ignores the rest of her constituents and I had enough.
Every draft legislation has solved most of the problems presented today.
She is a prime example of why the two-party system is broken. Accountability. I'm running as a writing
independent, and I will lose. Lloyd. Lloyd. Lloyd Taylor. We all know, despite what we want to believe,
that you will win.
I'm not the only one who thinks the two-party system is broken. Then somebody else might win.
Thank you. All right, I know I saw some more hands out there. Who wants to go ahead and come on up?
There we are. A man in a fantastic hat.
Great. Thank you so much for being here and participating in our interview. Good afternoon, folks. I'd
like to thank everybody for being here. Unfortunately, I think the guest might be playing hide-and-seek,
folks. I haven't seen her yet. I'm sure she's around somewhere though. I've only got three issues.
Number one, it's our bedroom. Yes. Number one, what can we do? What have we been doing? They need to
dig into it and inspect the big room right there. And we can see that a lot of times.
Maybe a service. Number two is our farmers. A lot of our farmers are having problems right now. Diesel
fuels have, fertilizers have, skis have. A lot of them are going out of business on the cover level.
What are they doing to help them? A third issue I have is the legalization and decriminalization of
cannabis. That's what it wants to do. That's right. It wants you to mess, and that's what it wants to
do. That's what it wants to do. And it's turning you back down, and that's what it's going to help you with.
And I wish you would have been here so we could talk during that speech for ourselves.
Who is next? You know, Rick, those topics you mentioned are all related in their own way. You know,
Houchin's support for President Trump and his illegal war in Ukraine is making more veterans who will be
started boiling when they come home if we keep doing things at the current rate. And this war is also
affecting our farmers very, very much so. You mentioned the price of diesel. Obviously, you need to
have to run a lot of your farm equipment to fertilize it. The prices are also going through the roof.
But it turns out a lot of that stuff passes through the straight-oers, or at least it should be. It's
not doing it right now. And we might not be seeing it this growing season, but come next spring. And
as things are resolved by then, our farmers are in real trouble.
My name's Kevin Craig, Carolyn's husband, actually. And chauffeur. I want to ask, first of all, good
afternoon.
I want to ask you about the Congress's constitutional responsibility in deciding when the United States
goes to war. Most Americans recognize that the federal government has a duty to defend the nation and
protect our allies. They also understand there are times when military force may become necessary.
to protect American lives and national security. But our Constitution deliberately divided the war-making
powers of government. While the President serves as Commander-in-Chief in the Armed Forces, Article
1 gives Congress the authority to declare war. The Founders place that responsibility in the legislative
branch because they believe that the decision to send Americans into combat should never rest with one
individual alone.
In recent years, presidents of both political parties have relied increasingly on the executive authority
to conduct military operations without obtaining a formal declaration of war or a new authorization
from Congress. But Congress has gradually surrendered one of its most important constitutional
responsibilities. When Congress continues to appropriate military funding while declining to vote directly
on whether the nation should enter or continue hostilities,
election representatives avoid accountability. My question is this, Representative Pouch. What does
Congress's approach to war powers say to Hoosiers about your commitment to the Constitution? If the
United States is engaged in sustained military hostilities against Iran, why should Hoosiers believe
Congress has fulfilled its constitutional duty if it has not explicitly debated and authorized that conflict?
And how, as U.S. citizens, can we stand behind the executive branch of our internationalist,
interventionalist government when we're involved in a foreign conflict that has no foreseeable end in
sight? This is what the Constitution says about war. What do they say about an excursion?
And if you listen to them, the first one was over. This is a whole separate conflict since the ceasefire.
You know, she had an opportunity to weigh in on this. Just this week, the House of Representatives voted
on another War Powers Resolution, which passed. It passed. Not through any helpers. She voted against
this War Powers Resolution. An handful of Republicans broke ranks. Not air and action.
Who else wants to come up and ask the brave Congresswoman a question here this afternoon? Hi, it's Andrew
Sherman. I assume that Congresswoman
Ocean wouldn't be here. But ask a question that maybe she could answer if she's privy to what happens
here. Can't hear you. Use your mic. In her July 24, 2026 letters from America, historian Heather Cox
Richardson relays a New York Times article
The litigation revealed that President Trump did not fund some appropriations to the states for the
sole reason those states did not vote for her. If this is not true, please address the information set
forth in that article. In any case, please indicate whether or not you support that approach towards
congressional
Specifically, I know just recently it turns out that they've been withholding Medicaid funding to blue
states because they don't like the way they vote. And again, they think they're going to blame waste,
fraud, and abuse. But you know where the waste, fraud, and abuse is coming from. And FEMA as well. They
are withholding FEMA funding from hopeful folks across the board. And it's not just blue states.
But especially... They need that money to clean up the disaster in the reflecting pool. Who else wants
to come up and ask a question for the congresswoman? Yeah, right there. Let's hear from her. I'm so
glad we got a chance to do this today. And hopefully the congresswoman will get a chance to hear our
questions.
Well, I'm sorry, because most people ask all the questions I have, but nobody's brought up the Department
of Education. My name is Donna Kincaid, and I've taught in Monroe County for 33 years. And we're the
reason all the rest of you have jobs. The Department of Education is slated to close by December of
this year. And it was established to make sure that all children in all states had the protective rights
and services.
And the dismantling of this Department of Education is now threatening the services. For example, all
of these services that begin being, sorry, dispersed over 14 different agencies. And just as a quick
one, the Department of Labor will now be handling adult education and higher education. The Department
of Health and Human Services will handle special ed and 504 plans. If you're a parent, you know 504
plans help your children get those services.
The Department of Treasury is handling FAFSA and financial things, and if you are not entering a profession
that is considered worthy, that means making money, you may no longer be funded. Let me tell you, that
includes nursing, teaching, and lots of other social services. Oh yeah, we're all women. The Department
of Justice is now handling any complaints about civil rights, and we know where that's going.
So I just want to ask Erin, you've supported, she was on the education workforce committees for the
118th Congress. She supported the closing of this department, but she's also supported bills for making
states teach the science of reading and parental right bills, which actually are the prerogative already
of the state.
So I'm going to ask Erin, what is your problem? Do you know the difference between the federal department
and the states? Can you explain your thinking? Thanks for the email I got this morning. She said, thank
you for contacting my office. I'm so happy to represent you.
Thank you. Well, you know, I can't speak for the representative personally, but you know, the Republicans
in this country, in Washington, Indiana state, have been chomping at the bit to dismantle the Department
of Education. They want to privatize our public education system, you know, if you can make a buck off
of it or a favor of it.
But I want to address your point about why they're dismantling the Department of Education. The DOE
only goes back to the 70s. I want to say the Carter administration is actually one that was first put
in place. And one of the things they were most tasked with is equity in education. You mentioned the
ADA, the special ed, and how that is being dismantled. Hand it over to HHS.
But HHS is in good hands. Probably Kennedy, Jr. But the entire reason they attacked the education department
in particular, but public education in general goes back to the long backlash against desegregation.
And the Brown versus Board decision in 1953
They've been chomping at this mainstream public education ever since. Did you want to come up?
Come on up. Erin Houchet, as you know, this is a low percentage. 60 to 62% of Hoosiers aren't legalized
weed. Why are you not listening to us when the majority of us want this? Also, you know that
an estimation between the Fairbounce Foundation, Hoosiers spend between $1.2 and $2.6 billion a year
on cannabis. That's going to other states, by the way, because it says 96% of Hoosiers live within 100
miles of illegal out-of-state dispensaries. So we're losing hundreds of millions to tax revenue that
go to our state. Let's legalize this already. The majority of us want that. So Erin Hodges, please put
this on your list to do.
They have to live with their adoption as a relative. The least we could do is get high about it. You
would think this is something that can be monetized, that she would be in favor. And I can't explain
her reasoning why, other than certain donors want to keep the intoxication market cornered. Right here.
My name is Sandra Holman. I'm a retired registered nurse. I worked in the operating room for 45 years.
And this has fallen out of the headlines lately, but I really want to talk about reproductive health
and the fact that Ms. Huchin, you have daughters. God forbid any of them have had any problem
with pregnancies where you miscarried because in this state,
They're not allowed to even teach it in the medical school how to do a D and C for a missed abortion,
which can cause a woman to go septic and die for something that is not necessary. And I want you to
consider that and consider legislation for a national plan on how to address these problems with reproductive health.
I don't want to minimize it because a woman's right to choose is a fundamental human right, as I believe.
But she's such a supporter of women and children and mothers and giving birth, right? The policies she
supports, I keep coming back to the one beautiful bill act because it's the only thing this Congress
managed to pass, it has put
Indiana's world hospitals in danger. And because they're so starved for funding, what's one of the first
things to get cuts? It's their obstetrics and their delivery department. So I want to say we're up to
10 Indiana hospitals now that have closed or dropped their labor and delivery services just in the last
several years. So I know a lot of folks, and particularly in the rural parts of the state, who took
a drab little power to get to a hospital, you know, to get burned.
was permitted in nature, because there are any complications in between their health and the hospital.
It doesn't seem a very pro-life. Who else wants to come up? We've got something to say. Did I see some
hands out there? Hey, got another question? Absolutely. No reason to limit to just one. I know. I've
seen some folks in there that haven't come up yet. And I bet you got one.
How do you feel about the decline of the Republican Party into a cult of personality that blindly obeys
the corrupt orders of a wannabe dictator, Donald Trump?
Representative Houchin, this is a very painful moment for me to see you sitting here like this. I remember
our Congressman of the 9th Congressional District, Lee Hamilton, and it makes it especially painful
to see what we've got. Representative democracy is in crisis.
What do you advise or what advice do you have for thoughtful, sincere citizens in this representative
democracy? Your voting record is 100% consistent with the MAGA agenda, which tells us that you are listening
to your king and not to your constituents.
Who else wants to come? I know we got Mr. Meyer, would you like to ask the representative? Hi,
I'm Brad Meyer, the Democratic nominee for Congress.
address her, I'd like to address you and say thank you all for being here. You showed up. She does not.
This is not unusual. I, on the other hand, have had 17 live town halls, four virtual town halls, many
meetings. In addition to that, I've been all over the district and I'm trying to represent you. How
many people here are worried about the future? Their future? This is the crisis that we're facing. We're facing
a crisis of confidence, right? When my wife and I lived the American dream, it wasn't easy, and it's
not supposed to be, but we started with nothing. Literally, everything we owned fit in the back of the
car. And we worked hard, we invested, we took risks, because we had confidence in the future, we built
a life together. You talk to young people today,
They have zero confidence in the future. 45%, only 45% of people 30 years old are doing better than
their parents were when their parents were 30. Less than half. That's why I'm running for office, because
we have, we've talked about a lot of things, and there's a lot of issues, but the big issue is we need
to have a future that we can all look forward to. A future where we can say tomorrow's going to be better
than today, and we can't say that today. And that's why I'm running.
That's the issue that I'm going to be driving on. So the question for Aaron Houchin is, what are you
going to do when I take your seat in Congress? Thank you so much. Well, that's a hard act to follow, but yes.
It's Bob now. Let me pick Houseman again. One thing we never mentioned is foreign aid. We haven't really
mentioned the world outside our borders to speak of. Louder. Oh, great. The world outside our borders.
I worked with the Agency for International Development for many years. And I think it did a heck of
a lot of good. And one of the reasons I know it did a heck of a lot of good
is that since it was shut down abruptly at the beginning of the Trump administration, reliable knowledge
and useful sources have estimated something like three quarters of a million people have died because
they were hungry, because they couldn't get medications that they needed. Thousands of babies have been
born with HIV who didn't need to be born with HIV if they'd only given a little shot to their mother
right before they were delivering.
that HIV has held the statistic. So this is not only incredibly inhumane and horrible and stupid, but
it's also bad for the US. We don't need a bunch of sick, starving people to try to do business with
or to try to have for allies. So why is this OK?
I don't know how much was real and how much was propaganda that we were watching to growing up, but
we always heard that the US was the good guy. We stood up to the little folks and took care of people
around the world. And USAID was a program like that. And even if you want to look at it just specifically,
it doesn't cost a lot of money.
and it projects soft power in the world. It's a way to make friends. You're not gonna make friends in
the world if you're taking food out of people's mouths. And here at home, it's a stimulus for farmers.
It is a source for a lot of grains and farm products that wouldn't otherwise get bought up, that they
buy and ship overseas for things just like this. A real cell phone, and that was,
Elon Musk and Doge that cut, I would say, in the first months of the second term of the installation.
What was the reason they gave for doing this? It was, well, we want to reduce the national debt. And
we saw a couple of his little toadies interviewed not too long ago. And they said they were proud of
their work because they thought, well, whatever they cut, it was more important to reduce the debt.
And then one asked, did you reduce the debt? They had to say, well, no.
We did, and we've talked about this previously today, that that has only gone up. As Garenhardt pointed
out, we are burning through money even faster than we were before Trump took office. Who else would
like to come up here and give a word to the Congresswoman today?
in Davis Monroe County. On February 6th, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a non-binding
resolution, House Resolution 1001, declaring that former President Trump, quote, did not engage
in insurrection or rebellion against the United States or give aid or comfort to the enemies thereof,
end quote.
Representative Houch and you were co-sponsor of that with other Trump hardliners such as Marjorie Taylor
Greene and Paul Gossor. As constituents we have to wonder why because we all saw with our own eyes how
our capital was stormed as well as what the bipartisan January 6th committee documented about it being
a presidential plan
of last resort, as well as hours of presidential inaction to stop it. It is noteworthy that you reported
raising over $1 million in your bid to be elected by losers in 2022 when that seat was vacated by Trey
Hollingsworth. Are we to believe that voters in Brown, Clark, Dearborn, Decatur,
Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Lawrence, Monroe, Ohio, Ripley, Scott, Switzerland, and
Washington County supply that much money? Who's funding your campaign and what did you promise them?
politics these days ever since, and even before, but especially since the Citizens United decision in
2010, what we have is legalized corruption. And to your point, you know, we can redefine corruption
as clean elections. We can redefine insurrection as patriotism.
War is peace, freedom is slavery. Either the guy Orwell, I think, was his name when he wrote about this.
Anybody else would like to share some words here with the Congresswoman back there? Yeah, you come on
up. Somebody asked just one question. No, no. Karen Houghton.
I'm talking to you about my friend Michael who's in hospice. He can't get on to Medicaid because he
makes $1,382 a month. That's too much. He doesn't qualify for Medicaid. Let that sink through your head.
And you're trying to kick off people who make less than he does.
the cruelest human VA that has ever represented the ninth district of Indiana. By the way, has anybody
seen him? Did he just slither off to Tennessee after he retired from Congress here in our district?
That man was a carpet bag.
Yeah, you know, I'm no mathematician, but if I can add correctly, that number you gave is certainly
less than $24,000 a year, if not closer to 18, which is certainly half the poverty level. I know the
Medicaid cap hasn't moved
And you see things like this, just to qualify for Medicaid, you have to tether yourself to poverty.
There is no other way to qualify at this point. And it's not right. It's certainly for people
with disabilities. It makes you choose between living in poverty or participating in the workforce and
having dignity in that way. It is, again, not very pro-life, despite what they call themselves.
Anybody else have any words for the congresswoman here? Yeah, why don't they? We've heard from you yet.
Good afternoon, guys. Hello, my name is Lucy Lumen, and I'm here. I'm with Indiana Normal. And as a
few of you already pointed out, which I thoroughly appreciate, that the importance of cannabis reform
It's really important. It's something that we are not actively talking about as much as we should. It
impacts our health care. It impacts over 50% of the drug arrests in Indiana currently right now have
to do with cannabis for absolutely no reason. Like someone mentioned earlier, within 100 miles of where
they live, they could get medical access on all surrounding states of Indiana. Our economy, our basis
is going out to the winter. We're talking about how we can save or how we can do
different social programs that are, we can start with cannabis reform. Even just not criminalizing it
in Indiana could drastically save so much money for losers. Let alone the idea of them being able to
have naturalized medicine that is meaningful, doesn't have all the side effects, isn't it tied to so
many different opioid-related deaths and work injuries that decrease in states that have legalized cannabis.
We take it for granted all the time in Indiana that
We're going to be the last state. No, we need to be the next state. And representatives from Indiana
need to realize the hurt it is doing at home, the hurt it's doing to Hoosiers. And whenever you travel
to those other states around us and you hear about the medical miracles, just the things that people
are experiencing that Hoosiers don't have that same access to and we need to, especially at the national
level, we need to have that representation.
We need to have somebody sticking up and realizing previously Reverend Hernandez said that because of
the schedule one and because of her lack of awareness of organizations that have already previously
supported that medical research, and now there are plenty more since she previously made that statement.
So now with the recent federal recognition of that medical advancements and of those medical benefits,
what do you say now? How are you going to advocate for Hoosiers?
She's a fiscal conservative, right? And certainly it doesn't make financial sense for Indiana to watch
its money go out the door to our neighboring states. Kentucky, for crying out loud. We shouldn't be
getting laughed by Kentucky. But the money that we forgo just in that tax revenue is harmful to the
state. But then think of the other costs that we're putting into incarcerating people that we arrest for
possession of cannabis. I suspect, but I cannot vouch for this, but I suspect there's at least one private
prison organization that probably could be found on the Congresswoman's donor list that is typical of
Republicans in Congress and at the state level. There's a financial benefit to be had from locking people up.
Good for her donors, good for Republican donors, not good for Hooters or anybody else for that matter.
Who else has some words they would like to share with Mrs. Houchin here today? Yep, I'd like to hear
from you again. I had something local I wanted to share.
I have to do it again representing Pascha. Following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, Professor
Houston, who teaches at the IU McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis. This was reported in the HT and
also other media in Indiana.
Professor Houston delivered a congratulations call to Lindsey Graham's former Senate office, delivered
it to Graham's sister, Darlene, who is taking his place. And she wrote, he wrote, congratulations, Darlene.
Your brother is burning in hell for supporting Trump. And now you're working for the devil.
Again, referring to Toronto. In response, several Indiana Republicans, including Lieutenant Governor
Micah Beckwith, Senator Jim Banks, and you, Representative Houchin, called on Indiana University to
fire Professor Houston. Indiana Lieutenant Governor Beckwith also threatened that if IU refused to fire
Houston, the university should lose its state funding. However, distinguished law professor
and constitutional expert
Steve Sanders has publicly argued that because IU is a public university, firing Professor Houston solely
because of her protected speech would violate the First Amendment. He said the legal question is whether
her speech substantially interferes with her ability to teach food and drug law classes or interfere
with the university's operations. He concluded he sees no such connection.
My question is this, Representative Halston. Do you believe Professor Houston should be fired? And do
you believe Indiana University should lose taxpayer funding if it follows the First Amendment? If so,
how do you reconcile defunding a public university for adhering to our constitutional right of free speech?
they like to claim that they're free speech absolutists, that they're very concerned about the First
Amendment, yet when they hear speech they don't like, then consequences abound. But they can say whatever
hateful, racist, sexist, dishonest word they want. Would anybody else like to share some words here
with Congresswoman today?
I know we still got this room for a little bit of time, and we would like to get everything on the record
sweep in for us to get things on the record. I didn't just do a quick cursory search of any ties between
Junction and the private prison corporations. I didn't want to make sure I corrected myself there, but
that's a direct connection they have with us. Any other folks want to jump in here today?
Thanks, everyone, for showing up. We have many groups at the back, so we'd love to talk to you. We have
the room, actually, until 5.45. That's when the library closes, so don't feel like you have to run out
just yet. So hang around, reach for the mingle with fellow voters, and have fun.
I want to thank you all for coming today. This is one thing to be angry at your kitchen table, but it's
another thing to stand up here in front of the room and be what you don't know, spend some time with
us on a Sunday afternoon, and say out loud how our government here has affected you. You know, you've
told us about your medical situations, and you've told us about your band members,
about Social Security. So you just need to listen. And that is okay. Now, every one of those notes,
yeah, those pink slips, make sure you save those. Give those to Carolyn right here. Those are gonna
go to Erin's office. Because, you know, she doesn't get to pretend that we don't exist and this doesn't
happen. We're going to put it right there in black and white or it's rather in pink. What we came here
to talk about today,
Thanks for getting me one here for organizing this. And thank you all for coming. Everybody's here.