On Wednesday, constituents from New Jersey’s 11th District finally achieved what they’ve been seeking for weeks: Face time with their congressman.
But they had to spend hours on a bus to score a few minutes with Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen at his Washington DC office.
“That’s a huge point of progress, even though I’m not sure we got any solid answers,” said Christine Clarke of NJ 11th for Change.
Clarke and two of her children, ages 16 months and 10 years old, were among about 150 people who packed three buses from Morristown and Montclair.
The contingents from NJ 11th and Blue Wave NJ have visited Frelinghuysen’s Morristown office every Friday for weeks, pressing for a town hall meeting — so far without success– and leaving postcards and messages expressing concerns about President Trump’s policies on health care, immigration and the environment, among other issues.
The 12-term congressman from Harding, a Republican who heads the House Appropriations Committee, met with a few small groups for a total of about 45 minutes, according to participants.
“I was happy to meet with several dozen of my constituents who made the bus trip from New Jersey,” Frelinghuysen said in a statement.
“They were good meetings and I appreciated hearing more about the issues that matter to them,” he said.
Constituents also met with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) on the Capitol steps, spoke with Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-NJ) chief of staff, and sat in on some of the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.
Noreen Staples of Mendham said she felt good because Menendez told the activists they were making a difference. She wasn’t as happy about her 10 minutes with Frelinghuysen.
“It’s nine hours out of our lives to see our congressman, and I’m not sure he takes us seriously. I shouldn’t have to drive nine hours to get a short meeting with him, where he doesn’t address his constituents’ concerns,” Staples said.
During her group’s meeting with Frelinghuysen, she said, he was asked why he supported defunding Planned Parenthood, and how much he was willing to spend on the President’s wall at the Mexican border.
Frelinghuysen only emphasized that the President proposes a budget, but Congress ultimately decides what is spent, Staples said.
Adrian Lesser of Rockaway Township said she raised concerns about proposed cuts to the State Department, potentially hurting U.S. diplomacy. “He said he agrees with me,” said the retired businesswoman.
Frelinghuysen used most of their short session for pleasantries; Lesser got off the only question, she said.
“It was a lot of sweating, standing and waiting,” Rockaway Township resident Stacey Gregg said of the day. Her most exciting moment was bumping into Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), she said.
Gregg added that she plans to show up once again at Frelinghuysen’s Morristown office on Friday.
Joyce Smith, a lawyer from Pequannock, said Planned Parenthood was there for her when she could not afford health care. When she asked Frelinghuysen was he switched from supporting the program to defunding it, all he did was smile, she said.
“The man does not have a cogent answer for anything,” said Smith, who left Washington feeling energized.
“Absolutely, this was worth the effort,”she said. “This shows people that the base is ignited. I will do pretty much anything I need to do. I have a 15-year-old daughter, and I’ve just begun to fight.”
Stay tuned for more coverage.
