Reed hosts Bradford town hall

Jun 06, 2017 at 08:11 pm by Observer-Review


Reed hosts Bradford town hall ADVERTISEMENT

Reed hosts Bradford town hall

BRADFORD--Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) conducted a town hall meeting for area residents at the Bradford fire station Saturday, June 3.
A civil yet persistent group of 40 people attended and asked the legislator about the status of the Kraft plant in Campbell, healthcare changes, climate change, the Paris climate agreement, fossil fuel usage and alternative energy sources.
Reed started the meeting saying he is very optimistic about the Campbell plant staying open. He said he hopes in the very near future he will be able to announce more details about the facility. Reed said the plant staying open is very important not only for the 400 direct jobs but also the important network for dairy farmers in the region.
Healthcare was the next topic. The congressman stated his summary views regarding the challenge of healthcare. Reed said health insurers are pulling out of the Obama Affordable Care Act. He said this factor is leaving people with fewer choices and some people with no choices for affordable health coverage.
Reed said the repeal and the new American Health Care Act will include tax credits to purchase health insurance, states will have more flexibility and encouraged to use more innovation with Medicaid payments. Reed said the Medicaid system is simply becoming too big to be sustainable. The lawmaker said we need to go to different metrics with the states so that different outcomes will be possible.
Residents then turned to renewable energy sources vs. fossil fuel.
Reed was pressed by three people to state his position on the Paris Climate Accord. Reed said that he respected President Trump's decision to pull out of the climate agreement. He also quickly added there are other climate issues that also need to be addressed. Another person persisted and said, "But how do you feel about this?" Reed said, "I think it was a mistake for Obama to unilaterally get the country in the agreement and I respect the president's decision to disengage unilaterally."
Reed said, "I'm an all of the above type energy guy." He said we should look at wind, solar and at all types of renewable energy, but we also need to understand that we currently have a fossil fuel economy and we need to make the transition to renewables with smart decisions that won't be harmful to Americans. "I think we are actually closer than what some people think."
Reed conducted four area town hall meetings on Saturday. In addition to the Bradford meeting, the congressman also met with residents in Geneva, Trumansburg and Erin.

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