COLUMBUS – Ohioans concerned about repeal of the Affordable Care Act and stoked by liberal groups opposed to President Donald Trump’s actions have organized town halls across the battleground state during this week’s congressional recess.
Protests greeted Republican members of Congress returning home this week on break to their districts across the nation and many meetings between lawmakers and their constituents have been boisterous and combative.
Organizers estimate that more than 1,000 people turned out to hear a variety of speakers at a town hall in Tiberi’s 12th District, which was held at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Columbus. Physicians and members of the public spoke out against Republican plans to repeal and replace the health care reform law.
The organizers of the event say they delivered an invitation to Tiberi’s office last week and that 1,800 people had signed a petition circulate by a former Democratic candidate for state representative demanding Tiberi attend but event organizer Greg Thomas says Tiberi went to a fundraiser for the Knox County Republican Party in Mt. Vernon instead.
Just wrapped up another day of back-to-back meetings in my #OH12 office to discuss health care reform. Looking forward to more.
— Pat Tiberi (@PatTiberi) February 22, 2017
Tiberi’s office tweeted that he had met with constituents earlier in the week at his district office and a spokeswoman says he has not ruled out attending town hall meetings in the future.
Stivers (right) has held telephone town halls – known as “teletowns” — this year, which included more than 11,200 constituents and has two more scheduled in March, said spokeswoman Courtney Whetstone.
A similar event is planned in Rep. Jim Renacci’s northeast Ohio district Thursday.
Most of Ohio’s Republican congressional representatives are skipping the events, though Jim Jordan, a conservative and 10-year House veteran from Urbana, was an exception. He attended events in his district Monday and engaged with protesters who showed up.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, constituents seeking town halls demonstrated at the offices of Republican Sen. Rob Portman and GOP Reps. Bob Gibbs, Mike Turner, Bob Latta and Steve Chabot.