“How does shutting down the department of education help kids who are behind?” a Branch Township resident asked Congressman John Moolenaar.
This question was put to the congressman at his virtual town hall on Thursday. The subject of the question was President Donald Trump’s executive order to close down the U.S. Department of Education.
“I think the way you help kids who are behind is make sure that the people who care the most are the most empowered,” Moolenaar said.
Moolenaar said that it is the state that should drive the curriculum and that they need to be supplied with the most resources to do so.
Also, he said that people in their own district and their own community should be most accountable to those they serve.
As for his congressional district, it is made up of rural schools. He said that those schools will also be benefited more so by the executive order.
“To me, those are the people who care most. They’re the ones who understand the needs of the community best and can implement education rather than someone in Washington D.C. sitting behind a desk, and in many cases not even showing up,” Moolenaar said.
S.S, Medicare, Medicaid
Another citizen put a question to him about Social Security, saying that republicans are looking to, “tear it down.”
Moolenaar said that Social Security will be protected, and that he and President Donald Trump were very clear about that.
As for Medicare and Medicaid, he said that the Department of Government Efficiency is working to expose fraud, waste, and abuse. The result of that work, he said, will be a reformation of all of these programs.
“I would not support cuts to those programs at all,” Moolenaar said. “How can a successful program continue if it’s not administered in a sound way.”
Of the head of DOGE, Elon Musk, Moolenaar said he has a record of turning businesses and corporations around. Therefore, saying that he is qualified for the task although he was said to have previous work experience as a government contractor.
Veteran Support
As for veteran funding, Moolennar said he serves with the new secretary of Veteran’s Affairs, Doug Collins, a veteran himself.
“He’s gonna look at the entire organization and look at ways we can be more focused on serving the veterans rather than the bureaucracy,” he said.
Moolenaar said that when Trump took office in 2016, veterans were on lengthy wait lists to receive care. In the duration of this, he said some died. Trump was explained to have enhanced that service to the vets.
Checks/Balances
{p class=”p1”}”The executive actions the president is taking is setting a direction and many of those are being implemented with excellent results already,” Moolenaar said.
{p class=”p1”}The executive actions would have to be made into law by congressional action, Moolenaar said. As for disputes in the executive actions, he said the courts would handle that with appeals, eventually taking those appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.
{p class=”p1”}He said that upon Supreme Court approval it would be his job, along with the other congressman, to “continue to improve upon the orders that were made law.”
{p class=”p1”}”That’s the genius of the founders that set-up this system, it is a deliberative process,” Moolenaar said.
{p class=”p1”}Miscellaneous
-On the subject of tariffs, Moolenaar said that the goal is to reach reciprocal trade relations. Saying that Trump cited fentanyl passing through the southern border as one of the reasons for tariff action with Mexico and China.
Moolenaar said has been understood that Chinese companies have been manufacturing the chemicals that go into this same fentanyl that passes through the boarder.
“Since those tariffs went into place, the president of Mexico was assigned 10,000 troops to the southern border to help address this problem,” he said.
-On the subject of agriculture, several citizens asked about updates on the 2018 Farm Bill. The bill allows farmers to access programs like crop insurance.
The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture is chaired by representative G. T. Thompson. Thompson was said to have draft bill ready to take action on.
However, there are some areas on it still in debate. To go forward, it must be deliberated on by the House, the U.S. Senate, and then completed by a signature from the president.
In the meantime, Moolenaar said he wants to develop a bi-partisan coalition that wants to put the Farm Bill in place.
-On the subject of voter-identification, the congressman said he supports it as a requirement to vote. He said it is not fair to American citizens that there are non-citizens voting among them.
-A question put to him was on Trump’s pardons of those incarcerated on account of their actions at the White House on Jan. 6.
“The president has the ability to pardon, and that’s not for congressional review or opinion,” Moolenaar said.
-As for Trump’s call to impeach federal judges, Moolenaar said that the call to impeach is a legitimate tool.
-On the subject of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said that the Biden Administration handled it with force and mandates which failed to respect people and their respective communities.
-As for the pause of U.S. Military aide being sent to the Ukraine, Moolenaar said he does not support the sending of aid every time Ukraine asks for it. Also, that the European Union should be contributing aid as well.
