By Eric Crews
At Brevard College Wednesday morning, Congressman Mark Meadows recognized that he and his colleagues in Washington, D.C., currently have the lowest approval rating in history, but he said he is still determined to work on behalf of Western North Carolina to make positive changes.
Meadows visit was part of a 75-stop tour in his district that includes 11 town hall meetings during the Congressional August recess.
Despite his hectic schedule, Meadows said it was good to be back in Western North Carolina.
“The people just energize me,” he said. “The people back home really love their country, and it’s so obvious that it gives me real hope that we can make a difference. It spurs me on to fight the good fight.”
Meadows hopes the August tour of Western North Carolina will provide him insight into the views of his constituents.
“I want to hear what they have to say,” he said. “As a result of that in the past, we’ve been able to change some of our positions as it relates to a few of the issues.”
He said his stance on immigration has changed in the last couple of years based on input from those in the district.
“What we hope to hear is really heartfelt concerns in different areas that will help us set priorities,” he said.
Hearing first-hand accounts of problems people have with bureaucratic regulations allows him and his staff to work on their behalf to cut red tape and make the process smoother, he said.
“I’m encouraged about our country just because of the people we get to meet,” he said.
Among those he met Wednesday who asked questions of him during a breakfast meet and greet hosted by the Chamber of Commerce was Ann Emma, who asked him why there was a disparity in the benefits packages Congressional staff receive compared to that of the American people.
“Congress does pass better deals for themselves than they do for Main Street,” Meadows said. “They are taking care of their own instead of taking care of their people.”
He said a recent deal to provide subsidies and waivers for Congressional staff members was wrong.
His staff, to show solidarity with his constituents, did not accept those waivers, which amounted to thousands of dollars.
“We need to have one standard,” he said. “That standard for Main Street and Washington, D.C ., is the same standard across the board, with no hypocrisy and no double standards.”
The double standard Meadows spoke of is, in large part, what has led Congress to the lowest approval rating in its l history.
“I tell the story that Congress has an approval rating of eight,” he said. “A cockroach has an approval rating of nine. So, that let’s you know where we are at with this.”
Meadows said the low approval rating is an indication that many Americans believe Congress is not doing their jobs effectively.
In an effort to change that, Meadows said he is a member of the United Solutions group and the No Labels group that are working to find bipartisan solutions to some of the problems facing Congress.
“We’re trying to put politics aside and find real solutions for all of these issues,” he said. “We’re trying to come up with legislation that helps the American people, because ultimately, if we don’t do that, then you don’t need us.”
He said Congress often passes laws that have great titles, but the actual legislation doesn’t always support the title, which is why he has voted against bills that on the surface sound like they would be beneficial.
He said he has voted on issues contrary to his personal beliefs because his constituents expressed their views on the issue.
“We voted the other way because that’s what our constituents said that they wanted,” he said. “It’s tough, because you think, ‘I know better.’ But you know what, the older I get, the more I realize the less I knew.
“We just need to understand that the strength comes from our people.”
Meadows said he is committed to representing the people of Western North Carolina and will change his opinion on issues based on his constituents’ opinions.
“Groups like this are key,” he said addressing the 60 or so who gathered in the Porter Center’s atrium. “When people from the district get out and they actually call in, it makes a big difference. Grassroots still works. When you are calling the office and it starts to jam the lines, it makes a big difference.”
In discussing some of the prominent issues that have continued to make headlines in national news, including the Benghazi incident, profiling of groups by the Internal Revenue Service, the Affordable Healthcare Act and electronic eavesdropping by the National Security Administration (NSA), Meadows said transparency needs to be at the forefront.
“We need to make sure that we have guidelines,” he said. “Those who have been in the military know that rules must be followed. If you break those rules, no matter how prudent it might seem, it puts the rest of the stuff out of order, so it’s important to stand by that.”
“A government intrusion into our lives needs to be one that is based on the Constitution,” he said. “Our founding fathers were real concerned about that, and they said what we have to have is certain protections.”
Meadows said the American people should not be required to give up their freedoms in exchange for protection without consent.
“As long as we give those up willingly, and knowingly and it is transparent, then we are making a choice,” he said. “We are making a Congressional choice, a representative choice to do that. It’s when we lose trust in our government that it becomes a real concern, whether that is with the NSA or in other areas where the government has come in and undermined that credibility.
Regarding the Affordable Healthcare Act, Meadows said some of the tenants of the plan are good, such as coverage of pre-existing conditions, but he takes issue with the cost.
Meadows said projected costs initially for the program were around $1 trillion. Now, he said the latest estimates are that it will cost $2.7 trillion to implement.
“What happens is that what we were promised that it would do and what we are finding out each and every day that it is going to do is very different,” he said.
He said the concept of providing health care to everyone is “a great concept,” but there are flaws in the way it is being done.
“We’re a compassionate people who want to do that,” he said. “But what we are finding is that it is not controlling the costs in the way we thought it would.”
He said he is committed to finding solutions to health care problems by working across the aisle.
“I think what we have to do is work with the administration in a bipartisan way to figure out a way to make sure pre-existing conditions are covered,” he said.
He said there are hospitals that are struggling financially because their costs are not being covered and doctors who are retiring because they are saying they won’t put up with it anymore.
“We’ve got to make sure that we keep the relationship between a doctor and a patient and not the government and the patient,” he said.
In discussing issues involving the NSA, Benghazi and the Internal Revenue Service, he said there has been a constant effort to get to the bottom of what is actually going on.
He said he is confident real answers will emerge.
“I believe that we will see something here in the coming months in these areas,” he said. “It’s about holding people accountable. If not to us, then to the American public.”
He said a recent decision to close U.S. embassies in the Middle East was the right decision based on what happened in Benghazi, saying that learning from our past mistakes was one of the most important things to take away from Benghazi.
When asked what is being done to boost jobs in Western North Carolina, Meadows said he and others are working on three key issues.
“We’re meeting with every single entity that is looking at North Carolina, South Carolina or Tennessee and telling them that we have a willing workforce and local governments that are willing to work with you,” he said. “Beyond the successes that we have, such as the breweries, word is getting out that Western North Carolina has workers that are willing and local governments that will not be obstructionists.”
He believes tax reform will make a big difference.
In the next few months, Meadows said tax reform would be an issue that will be addressed by the Ways and Means Committee in an effort to close loopholes, reduce corporate taxes and simplify some areas of tax law.
“We have to do this,” he said. “If we don’t, American companies becoming large and prosperous will be a thing of the past.”
He said large companies are increasingly turning to overseas investment because of more favorable tax rates in other countries.
Reducing the amount of regulations that are in place will also promote business expansion and growth, which will lead to job creation.
Meadows said it is important that every business and corporation that is considering expansion should be contacted and encouraged to consider Western North Carolina.
“You have to be there to say, ‘We want you to be here,’” he said. “If we’ve got anybody that is willing to consider expansion in Western North Carolina, I will get in the car, get on a plane, and come down and meet with them. I want them to know that we are open for business.”
Meadows said government officials at all levels are integral to recruiting businesses to relocate by being aggressive in encouraging them to consider their region for expansion.
Meadows said he is personally willing to do anything he can to help encourage these types of job expansions.
