TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Throughout this week and in weeks past, protesters have gathered in front of the VA and other places to protest Congressman Juan Ciscomani.
They said they don’t feel heard by the Congressman and said many of their issues are not addressed when they reach out to his office.
“The letters that I get back have nothing to do with what we discussed. They’re just whatever he feels like saying,” Kathy V said.
Kathy, who wants to keep her full last name anonymous, is a volunteer with the LD18 Democrats and organized a protest on Wednesday.
However, Ciscomani said he’s making himself available by visiting hospitals and going to events like the one he hosted on Thursday to honor veterans.
“The whole point of me being here in town when we come back for the weekend or when we come back for a week at a time like we’re here at now is to go to as many places as possible,” Ciscomani said.
He said he recently did a phone town hall where his constituents called in. His team said over 4,000 people were on the line. Ciscomani said he was on the phone for over an hour answering people’s questions.
He said anyone is welcome into his office, including protesters.
“They come up and they give the information, and we’re happy to talk to them and answer any questions. So we’re an open book, very transparent, always able and willing to talk to the people that want to talk to us,” he said.
While his veterans event and his visit to a hospital on Thursday were not open to the general public, he is hoping to reach his constituents by hosting a phone town hall every quarter.
Protesters have brought up Medicare and Medicaid at the protests, saying Ciscomani is not doing enough to protect the people who rely on those services.
“Those people are some of most fragile people…the young, the elderly, people on disabilities, and that’s not fair,” Kathy said.
Ciscomani said he supports both programs., recently writing a letter to Republican leadership saying he won’t vote for any legislation that lowers Medicaid coverage.
“Families in poverty, those people that have disabilities, the elderly….these are the people that the Medicaid program was meant to protect,” Ciscomani said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
