Congressman Brad Schneider’s Congress on Your Corner Event in Antioch
By Lindsey Apple, Intern
On June 24th, Congressman Brad Schneider hosted a town hall forum at the Antioch Senior Center to discuss topical issues with the community. The conversation covered affordable health care, gun-violence prevention, Social Security, and more. Congressman Schneider also spoke about rebuilding public confidence in the government citing recently passed laws that have benefited the nation.
Among recent legislative progress shared with the audience:
- The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act helped to make bridges safer and increased access to broadband internet
- The Chips and Science Act has successfully invested in technology, artificial intelligence, and energy
- The Inflation Reduction Act has brought inflation down to 4% since its peak of 9.1% in June 2022
- The Inflation Reduction Act also caps insulin costs for seniors and creates new jobs and advancements in fields of renewable, clean energy.
Congressman Schneider spent most of the time responding to questions from community members. People raised issues of abortion and women’s rights, gun violence, student debt forgiveness, education and the recent decline in test scores, Social Security, and the fentanyl crisis.
A main topic of conversation was what Congress is actively doing to pass legislation on these fronts, as well as what Congressman Schnieder himself is accomplishing in Congress in these areas. He made his goals clear and proposed potential solutions to key priority issues. For instance, he spoke about how the retirement age for Social Security eligibility should not be raised, and to prevent doing so there should be more incentives for those who do want to work longer to be able to do so.
In other areas discussed, such as the fentanyl crisis, he encouraged young people to talk with friends and peers, asserting that young people will listen to each other more than they would to Congressional representatives. Overall, this open discussion that covered a wide range of essential topics was a fantastic way for the community of Antioch and surrounding areas to come together and communicate with their Congressperson.
