Liz Reisberg of Arlington attended the town hall in Woburn on Saturday, April 12, and provides notes about what they and participants had to say. She also took the photo.
U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey held a town hall at Woburn Memorial High School. The event seemed to have been arranged at the last minute, which might explain why the auditorium was only half full during such a tumultuous political time.
Clark and Markey each made brief opening comments before taking questions from the audience. Clark opened by celebrating the impressive turnout in Boston on April 5 estimated at 100,000 and poking fun at the Massachusetts GOP for responding to the massive turnout with the statement, “The Democrats seem intent on stirring up trouble.”
Questions covered a broad range of topics. A veteran expressed concern about the future loss of benefits. Clark acknowledged that services are already being cut and the administration plans to lay off 80,000 employees at the Veterans Administration, many of whom are also veterans. Markey added, “They served us. Now we have to serve them.”
Another audience member expressed concern about the people being snatched off the street or from their home and being stranded in El Salvador. Clark indicated that $6 million of taxpayer dollars is being sent to El Salvador to imprison deportees. She informed the audience that a congressional delegation plans to visit the prison this week and suggested that if a delegation of U.S. politicians can arrange a photo op in El Salvador, they can certainly bring back someone wrongly imprisoned there.
Perhaps the most poignant moment occurred when an audience member explained that he was the only surviving family member and primary carer for a brother with severe disabilities and complex health needs. He explained that he can only juggle work and provide care for his brother because of the support he gets from Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He worries about looming cuts to these programs.
Markey acknowledged that this gentleman was one of many “heroes” who are a critical part of care provided to our most vulnerable citizens and affirmed that beneficiaries of these programs are from red and blue states and funding cuts will have catastrophic consequences to many American families.
Other issues raised related to school funding, particularly special education and concern for the fact that the Trump administration seems to be plowing ahead despite attempts to stop them. The audience was generally polite and respectful, but there were occasional shouts of “What are you going to do about it?”
The senator and representative responded that they are acting on multiple fronts. They are trying to drag out roll calls and hearings to delay Trump’s appointments and the implementation of policies. They indicated that they have ways to “jam the committees.” They are working with partner organizations to pursue actions through the courts with 179 lawsuits already filed against the administration. They are holding town halls in red districts where the GOP has avoided holding them and making use of social media and billboards to respond to false information with “our truth.”
The congresswoman and senator repeatedly stressed the importance of the audience making their voices heard, of pushing back, of being in the street and supporting the many candidates in swing districts whose prospects improve as the chaos being generated by the Trump administration continues to grow.
This report, which inclides opinion, was published Sunday, April 13, 2025.
