U.S. congressman joins Peter Joffrion for Labor Day town hall

HUNTSVILLE — United States Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA15) visited Huntsville to endorse Peter Joffrion, Democratic candidate for Alabama’s 5th congressional district (AL05), and join him in answering citizens’ questions in a town hall on Labor Day.

Attendees packed into Fellowship Presbyterian Church in north Huntsville to show their support and ask questions. Other Alabama officeholders were in attendance, including Rep. Laura Hall of the Alabama House of Representatives District 17. The Rev. Gregory J. Bentley of Fellowship Presbyterian moderated.

Citizens at the town hall, some of which traveled from other counties to attend, inquired on a range of topics including health care, cyber security, economics, education, police culture, the environment and student loan debt. Throughout the meeting, the crowd rose to their feet and applauded Joffrion and Swalwell for their answers.

“I thought the energy was electric,” Joffrion said. “Both the response and the energy of the crowd exceeded expectations, and that’s kind of what we’re seeing across the district as well.”

Joffrion also said he thought the questions were “very good.” He noted that there are three big issues that are of utmost concern to the people of North Alabama: health care, economics and education. This was reflected in the questions asked at the town hall meeting.

In terms of health care, Joffrion said he knows “there are issues” with the Affordable Care Act, and he said that health insurance should be accessible to all Americans.

“[The ACA] is not the best vehicle,” Joffrion said. “The only problem is [Rep. Mo Brooks] doesn’t want to replace it with anything. I think we need to move to a position where we have health insurance that’s available for everyone at an affordable and accessible rate.”

Both Joffrion and Swalwell denounced recent tax cuts that they said favor corporations and the wealthiest Americans. If elected, Joffrion said he will work to repeal those tax cuts. He explained that money gained from doing so could help fund infrastructure and other matters important to Americans.

Although unemployment rates have dropped in the U.S., Joffrion said he still sees a problem with many Americans, including north Alabamians, having to work multiple jobs just to get by—something he hopes to help fix in Congress.

“Too many people are working two or three jobs in order to make ends meet and are having to make decisions between paying for health care costs or putting food on the table,” Joffrion said.

Though critics have called Joffrion and other Democratic candidates “socialists,” Joffrion said this is “just rhetoric.” Swalwell called such broad attacks “a bankruptcy of values.”

“I’ve seen this all over America, and there are candidates that I’ve supported who, like Peter, believe in the idea of America that if you work hard, it adds up to something, and that’s not socialism—that’s capitalism,” Swalwell said.

This hard work, Joffrion and Swalwell said, should earn workers a livable wage to support themselves and their families.

In terms of education, Joffrion said the government should focus more resources on childhood education. He also discussed a need for more vocational options for those who either choose not to go to college or cannot afford to go. Joffrion noted a need for more vocational skills across AL05.

For those that do attend college, both Joffrion and Swalwell expressed their desire to help students obtain a debt-free education.

“This generation is seeing that college tuition has gone up 306 percent since 1980 … so I think the best thing we can do first, when it comes to the interest on student loans, is to just [eliminate interest rates],” Swalwell said.

In other issues, Joffrion voiced his concerns with the current police culture. Swalwell, whose father is a retired police officer, told the audience he believes there should be more diversity and accountability in police departments, including requiring the use of body cameras on police officers on duty. He also said police departments should reflect the communities they serve.

The two also discussed Alabama’s problem with prison overcrowding and called for criminal justice reform. They also touched on the lack of opportunities that await those convicted of nonviolent crimes who try to reintegrate into society upon release.

“We are sending predominantly African-American males off to prisons during the prime working years of their lives and expecting them to emerge and reintegrate into society and be able to earn a sustainable living, and it’s just not possible,” Joffrion said. With more opportunities, he noted, they could help stimulate the economy.

Helping veterans was another topic citizens brought up in the meeting.

“I hear the cries of veterans, and they are many,” Joffrion said. “The suicide rate of our veterans is extraordinarily high … they need extraordinary care, and we cannot ignore their cries for help.”

Both Joffrion and Swalwell repeatedly emphasized the importance of having representatives in Congress who will listen to the people in their districts, and both said they were committed to being just that.

“It is very important that North Alabama’s representative be an actual voice for the people, for the hardworking families in North Alabama, and right now they don’t have that,” Joffrion said. “They have someone who has a very narrow ideology and who is more concerned about special interests than he is about the people he represents. It’s important to listen to the people across the district and reflect their concerns in Washington, and it’s also important to fight for what they want and what they need.”

Republican Mo Brooks is the current representative for AL05. Though Joffrion has challenged Brooks to a debate on multiple occasions, Brooks has remained noncommittal.

In a press conference held prior to the town hall, Swalwell praised Joffrion for his dedication to being a voice for the people of AL05.

“I came here to support Peter because I believe in Alabama, and what the voters did last year to send Doug Jones to the Senate is exactly what I see right now going on in Peter Joffrion’s race to send him to the House,” Swalwell said. “It couldn’t be at a more important time. We just saw President Trump roll back federal pay increases that hardworking federal employees who protect our national defense, who take care of our veterans, who we really do work hard for, and I know that affects 40,000 families here in the greater Huntsville area, and those families should know that when it comes to the pay that they earn, when it comes to tax cuts that should benefit them too … and when it comes to health care protections, they’ve got a champion in Peter.”

Swalwell’s visit marks a high-profile point of support in Joffrion’s campaign, as the California representative is a frequent contributor to major news outlets, particularly on issues of intelligence. Swalwell has also said that he is considering running for president in 2020.

“I appreciated his support very much,” Joffrion said.

Before the town hall, Joffrion attended the Shoals Labor Day Festival in Tuscumbia. Swalwell later accompanied him to Oakwood University for a “Millennial Meet and Greet.” Both met with regional labor leaders after the town hall. Brooks did not respond to invites to the meet and greet and town hall.

Swalwell currently serves on the following committees: the House Judiciary Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Subcommittee on the Central Intelligence Agency, of which he is a ranking member. He has also served on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Joffrion spent 22 years as a Huntsville City attorney, overseeing all major economic development in the community. Since retiring, he served as a tutor and mentor at the Boys and Girls Club for 11 years and has served alongside his wife, Kerry, as a youth group advisor at their church. To learn more about Joffrion and his platform, visit peterjoffrion.com.

Election day is set for Nov. 6.