Latest news with #StevePeterson
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Republican Iowa congresswoman booed at town hall over Trump policies
Constituents booed Republican congresswoman Ashley Hinson at a town hall in her Iowa district Wednesday when she praised Donald Trump's tax-and-spending plan and spoke approvingly of the 'department of government efficiency's' (Doge) efforts to downsize the federal government. It was the latest instance of a Republican lawmaker being taken to task at a public event over their support for Trump's policies, and came days after Hinson had voted for the the One Big Beautiful bill when it passed the House of Representatives. The wide-ranging bill will extend tax cuts enacted during Trump's first term, create new deductions for tips, overtime and car loan interest and fund mass deportations, while slashing federal social safety net programs. Hinson drew a chorus of boos when she told the audience in the town of Decorah that she was 'proud' to have voted for the bill. 'This is your time,' she said over the din. A similar outburst occurred from the audience at mention of Doge, which Hinson said she had received positive feedback about during an event elsewhere. The crowd broke into cheers when a constituent who identified himself as Steve Peterson referred to Trump's acceptance of a jet from Qatar and promotion of his own memecoin and asked Hinson: 'Could you help me understand why you are silent about this corruption?' 'I think it's really unfair to imply that I like to see corruption in Washington DC. I reject that premise wholeheartedly. I am here answering your questions in public because I care about transparency,' replied Hinson, who added that the jet was acquired from Qatar 'ethically'. First elected in 2020, Hinson's north-east Iowa district leans towards the GOP, but has been represented by Democrats in the past. At least one attendee at her town hall identified herself as a Democrat, and the county party noted that Hinson would be holding events in the district on Wednesday. Similar scenes have played out at town halls held by Republican lawmakers in Iowa and elsewhere. The state's long-serving senator Chuck Grassley was grilled last month by constituents over his support for Trump's hardline immigration policies, while in Georgia, police used a stun gun on two people during a town hall held by Marjorie Taylor Greene, a fervent Trump supporter. Democrats hope the public discontent is a sign that voters are ready to sweep them back into the majority in the House next year, and the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which coordinates House campaigns, reportedly advised lawmakers to stop holding town halls. Hinson was not alone in facing questions over her support for Trump's Big Beautiful bill, which passed the House narrowly and awaits consideration by Senate Republicans. On Tuesday, Mike Flood, a Republican congressman, faced a raucous crowd at his town hall in Seward, Nebraska, and admitted he was not aware that the bill contained language that could prevent federal judges from enforcing injunctions or restraining orders, several of which have been issued against Trump administration policies. 'I am not going to hide the truth. This provision was unknown to me when I voted for that bill,' said Flood, who added he had expressed his disapproval to senators.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2025 Point In Time Count volunteers survey homeless individuals around Kern County Wednesday
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Homelessness rose by 37% in 2024, to more than 2,600 homeless individuals in Kern County, according to Bakersfield-Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative. The Mission at Kern County serves as the headquarters for the 2025 Point In Time Count. Kern County Board of Supervisors votes to separate voter registrar duties of Auditor-Controller-Clerk's office 'We're mandated by Housing and Urban Development to do this every year, it's a snapshot really, we have four hours to do this survey,' Steve Peterson, Director of Programs at the Mission at Kern County. Volunteers have four hours to go around town and the county to find every homeless person they can and survey them. In an effort to get an accurate number on homelessness in the county. Or as close to an accurate number as possible. 'Every year we get better and better, so I want to say that our count comers fairly close, but I'm sure we're not going to get everybody,' Peterson said. Tracking homeless in the shelters is the easy part. The hard part is counting the ones outside. But they have a plan for that. Never miss a story: Make your homepage 'What we do is we create these teams, there's a four-person team that will go out there, and they'll have a map. And they stay within that area, so we're not just randomly going out there,' Peterson went on to explain. Even then, it's still not enough to track all of them, especially in those rural areas of the county. That's why they'll still have two extra days to track those rural areas and make sure they're counted too. All to make sure the count is as accurate as possible, so that funds to help the homeless get properly allocated. 'They go to supportive services that come along and help people get into housing, or once they get into housing help them stay in housing… our goal is to get them off the streets so they can be in a safe environment. Nobody should have to live out there on the streets,' Peterson said. Hear what one volunteer had to say about her experience volunteering for the annual Point In Time Count in the video player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
