Auchincloss says he'll fight for Fall River Social Security office: His take on 5 issues
For a little over an hour, the third-term congressman responded to questions from the crowd on everything from President Donald Trump's opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion policies, to the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care, to high energy bills.
Auchincloss' district stretches as far north as Brookline and Newton, and south to much of Bristol County.
Here are five topics covered at Auchincloss' town hall:
Even before members of the audience broached the subject, Auchincloss said, "Right now we are fighting to keep the Social Security office here in Fall River open.'
On March 4, the U.S. General Services Administration published a list that identified 440 'non-core assets,' mainly buildings and office space, it said were not essential to government operations, and said it intended to sell, lease or otherwise dispose of them. On this list was the Social Security Administration office at 400 N. Main St.
Steve Camara, a former city councilor, said that office served vulnerable people in Fall River, including the disabled and elders 'who need a hands-on, concrete place to go' for Social Security services instead of the Internet.
Auchincloss agreed, saying, 'You can have my word that I'll be fighting very hard on that front.'
However, the GSA removed that list a day after it was published. Only two federal properties are currently listed for sale, both in California. The GSA website says a new list of non-core assets is 'coming soon.'
'Non-core assets': Two Southcoast office buildings make Trump's list to be sold
Calling affordable housing 'the single biggest economic challenge facing Massachusetts,' Auchincloss advocated for increasing the overall supply of housing, particularly affordable units.
'Like any market, if you want the price to go down, have increased supply,' Auchincloss said. 'Increasing supply of housing is an important step.'
He told the crowd that, at the federal level, he has advocated for expanding the low-income housing tax credit, which would 'induce developers to build deed-restricted affordable housing,' and wanted to offer developers lower-cost loans to help them get the money to build.
'In the city of Boston, there's 30,000 units of housing permitted, but no shovels in the ground,' he said. 'It's not actually a zoning problem at that point. It's a cost-to-capital issue.'
But he said this was a high-priority problem.
'We've got to get 10 million units of housing built in the next 10 years or else the average American will have 40% to 50% of their household budget going to the cost of housing, and that's just not tenable,' he said.
Auchincloss said he understood that constituents are 'struggling with high energy bills right now. They have surged in recent months.'
Noting the state legislators in the front row, including state Sen. Michael Rodrigues, and state Reps. Carole Fiola, Justin Thurber, Alan Silvia, and Steven Ouellette, Auchincloss said they're 'all over this.'
'The best way I can help is by continuing to fund the Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program, which is somewhat inaccurately named because it's actually not just reserved for very low-income individuals," he said. 'It's open to many who have middle-class salaries as well.'
Asked what he could do to help with the issue of homelessness in Fall River, Auchincloss said, 'Homelessness is a function really of two broad vectors. One is the cost of housing, and the other is mental health and substance abuse disorders.'
Auchincloss said he has backed plans to increase affordable housing, including the HOME Investment Partnerships Program through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, and helped acquire grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Funds from SAMHSA pay to run the city's FAST team, its homeless outreach arm.
When asked why undocumented migrants are receiving shelter services that seem to be in excess of what homeless citizens receive, Auchincloss said any blame needed to be shifted from the state to the federal level.
'Massachusetts is paying a lot of money for migrant housing, there's no way around it," he said. 'That is not Massachusetts' fault. In fact, I think the Statehouse has responded relatively ably to it. That's Congress' fault. Congress did not tackle border security and immigration legislation.'
Speaking after the meeting to The Herald News, Auchincloss addressed Trump's often-repeated stance opposing offshore wind energy, which could affect projects on the SouthCoast. Just days before Trump's inauguration, Prysmian Group announced it would no longer be building a factory in Somerset to manufacture cables that connect offshore wind turbines to shore.
'The president issued a moratorium against wind. That's the direct reason why Prysmian pulled up stakes,' Auchincloss said.
Prysmian's official statement cites an alignment of 'market opportunities' relative to demand; it does not mention Trump.
Auchincloss said given that the president has opposed wind-energy projects, 'What we need to be focused on is economic development for Brayton Point beyond that cable manufacturing plant, and I'll support state and local efforts to do that.'
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Auchincloss says he'll fight for Fall River Social Security office
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