Notes From Congressman Zeldin's Telephone Town Hall Meeting

Notes from Congressman Zeldin’s Telephone Town Hall meeting Feb. 23. The word from the Congressman’s staff was that the meeting would start at 7 pm. The actual start time was 7:12pm.  In a press release Wednesday, the congressman’s spokesperson Jennifer DiSiena said that 100,000 constituents in the 1st CD would receive a call inviting them to participate in the call. People were also invited to register for the call or to follow online. 

After the Telephone Town Hall meeting, Ms. DiSiena said that 9,000 plus people participated in the event.

Twelve questions were asked and answered from people on the call or online.  There were also five poll questions the Congressman asked the audience to respond to. 

Tina questioned Mr. Zeldin about the Affordable Care Act (ACA)  which he would like to repeal. Zeldin supports allowing young people to stay on their parents plan and supports coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. He talked about other areas where those covered under the ACA were limited in the number of insurers to chose from. The Congressman spoke about NY’s program Health Republic and stated that many lost coverage when Health Republic was denied rate hikes and withdrew as a provider. When questioner Jacquline asked about the challanges of repealing and replacing the ACA requirement that all people are insured, Zeldin acknowledged that it is a a difficult issue.

On the VA Zelding said he supports allowing Veterans to use their VA benefits to go to private providers.

The Congressman was asked by Meridith about his support for HR38 The  Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 - This bill amends the federal criminal code to allow a qualified individual to carry a concealed handgun into or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows individuals to carry concealed firearms. A qualified individual must: (1) be eligible to possess, transport, or receive a firearm under federal law; (2) carry a valid photo identification document; and (3) carry a valid concealed carry permit issued by, or be eligible to carry a concealed firearm in, his or her state of residence. Additionally, the bill allows a qualified individual to carry or possess a concealed handgun in a school zone and in federally owned lands that are open to the public. He stated his support for the 2nd Amendment and spoke of the many uneforced rules on the books that make more stringent background checks unnecessary. He acknowledged that many disagree with him saying “that he will not be all things to all people.”

A woman named Cynthia asked his position on legislating that presidents must release their tax returns. Zeldin never really answered the question but went through a discussion where he said Democrats on committees are “hyper-partisan” and making this proposal every day. He expressed the sentiment that the Government Oversite Committee would treat concerns about President Trump the same way they treated concerns about President Obama. Zeldin expressed his view that many were looking to impeach the president “right out of the gate.”

A caller named Joe asked “As an American, as a Jew, how do you condone Donald Trump’s belated condemnation of the rise of anti-Semitism? The same caller asked about President Trump’s seeming anti-semetic appointment of Steve Bannon and lack of leadership on both Holocaust Day and the missed opportunity to visit the members of the burnt out mosque in Texas. Zeldin reminded the caller of a statement he issued which addressed his position.