Lance Faces Liberal Leaning Crowd During Town Hall

From healthcare to the economy to embattled New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon County) spent more than two hours fielding a range of questions from local residents Thursday evening during a town hall-style meeting in Westfield.

Most of the 50-member audience appeared to possess a liberal bent, with questions that challenged Lance's support of reducing Planned Parenthood and Medicare funding being followed by loud applause from a majority of attendees. 

Taxes and Debt Reduction

The event took place two days after the 10th anniversary of President George W. Bush's enactment of a $1.35 trillion tax-cut package, one that reduced taxes across all income levels, but chiefly focused on the wealthy. Followed by similarly large tax-cut legislation two years later, the 2001 measure became one half of what is now commonly referred to as the Bush-Era Tax Cuts, which together were set to expire by Jan. 1, 2011. 

Lance, who has called for making the tax cuts permanent, voted in December to extend most of the tax cuts for another two years. 

At the town hall-style meeting Thursday, several attendees pressed Lance on his stance regarding tax rates for the wealthy.

“I pay a lot of taxes this year and I don’t have a problem paying more taxes,” an attendee said. “People who make a lot of money should make a contribution back to society.”

He and other attendees proposed raising taxes for high-income earners and repealing the Bush-Era Tax Cuts.

Lance, however, argued that low tax rates for high earners help stimulate the economy. “If we go back to the pre-Bush levels, we would raise about $3.8 trillion over the next 10 years, $2.8 trillion of which would come from middle class people,” he said. “About a trillion would come from those with incomes over a quarter million dollars a year. I believe there is virtually no support in the Congress of the United States to raise taxes on middle class people.”

Although non-renewal or total repeal of the Bush-Era Tax Cuts would raise taxes for all taxpayers, President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats proposed a compromise in the fall of 2010 that would have maintained low tax rates for those earning less than $250,000. Lance joined congressional Republicans in rejecting the proposal and calling for an across-the-board extension of the tax cuts.

Attendees also questioned Lance on his support of low tax rates for large corporations. In April, he voted for the GOP 2012 Budget Plan, introduced by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., which would reduce the taxes paid by corporations and make the Bush-Era Tax Cuts permanent. The measure passed the House, but was defeated by the Democrat-controlled Senate.

One attendee pointed to General Electric, the subject of a New York Times investigative story in March that revealed that G.E. paid no taxes in 2010 and claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion. “Those guys don’t pay a goddamn dime,” the attendee said to loud applause. “I apologize for swearing.”

Lance deflected the question, stating it would be better referred to Obama, who appointed G.E. chairman Jeffrey Immelt to lead an economic policy advisory board. He added that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., plans to hold hearings on corporate tax issues soon.

Lance then steered the conversation toward debt reduction. Responding to attendees' arguments for raising taxes to reduce the federal debt, he advocated a dollar-for-dollar swap between lowering the debt and raising the debt ceiling.

Funding for Planned Parenthood

Attendees challenged Lance on his co-sponsorship of legislation that would strip Planned Parenthood of federal funds. Although laws prohibit Planned Parenthood from using state or federal funds for abortions, Lance argued that the organization should be split into two agencies: one that handles non-abortion procedures, and another that provides care for abortions. 

Planned Parenthood has stated that about 3 percent of its total services in 2009 were for terminating pregnancies, and that the other 97 percent were for services such as screenings and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, cancer screenings, contraception and sex education programs. The organization reported that it received $363.2 million in federal and state funds in 2008-2009.

Lance, who said he toured a Planned Parenthood facility in Somerset, stated that he supports abortion rights only in the first trimester of pregnancy. He has expressed support for the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, signed into law by President Bush in 2003 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2007, and as a New Jersey state senator, voted for measures that would require doctors to notify the parents of any person younger than 18 who wishes to terminate a pregnancy.

Health Care

Members of the audience asked Lance about the health care coverage he receives as a member of Congress, arguing that all Americans should have access to similar medical benefits.

“From a time an American is born, why can’t that person get the exact same benefits as a member of Congress?” one attendee said. “If you tell us what you get, why can’t we get it?”

Lance replied that it sounded like the attendee favored a single-payer or government-run option for healthcare – a response confirmed by loud applause from members of the gallery. The congressman went on to argue that health insurance should be provided by employers, not the government.

A member of the audience then asked Lance, a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees prescription drug policy, about the laws governing advertisements for prescription drugs. The advertisements, the questioner argued, encourage patients to seek-out specific drugs, therefore increasing demand and driving-up prices.

Lance, who regularly notes that he represents the largest concentration of pharmaceutical companies in the country, acknowledged that he works to protect the industry – one of the largest sources of employment in the Seventh Congressional District, and Lance's second-largest donor in 2009-2010, according to OpenSecrets.org.

“The challenge there is that we continue to have an American drug industry,” Lance said. “It is very important to my district. I am elected to represent the district I serve. I do represent a district which is the heart of the American drug industry.”

Lance said that tighter regulation of prescription drug advertisements could infringe on the First Amendment, but noted that strict laws govern the advertisement of tobacco and alcohol products and could, perhaps, be adapted to apply to prescription drugs.

Medicare

Rep. Ryan's GOP 2012 Budget Plan would overhaul Medicare, the federally funded health insurance program for seniors. Citizens who turn 65 in 2021 or later would not enroll in the program, but would instead receive vouchers to purchase private health insurance. 

When asked about his stance on Ryan's budget proposal and Medicare funding, Lance called the budget plan a starting point and described his vote as an attempt to start serious discussions on debt reduction – a key issue through Lance's two terms as a Congressman, a major talking point during his 2010 campaign and a cornerstone of his tenure as a state legislator in New Jersey. 

“We need a discussion in this country on how to reform Medicare,” Lance said. “The actuary for the Medicare program states that the Medicare program will begin to go bankrupt by 2024. That means those presently in the Medicare program will not receive their full benefits.”

The issue became political hot potato for Republicans earlier this spring, particularly after Democrat Kathy Hochul won a special election in May to represent a traditionally Republican congressional district located outside Buffalo, N.Y. Many politicians and political commentators, including Hochul, portrayed the Democrat's victory as a referendum on the Ryan proposal. 

Lance, however, disputed that claim. During an interview after the town hall-style meeting, he argued that the presence of Tea Party candidate Jack Davis on the ballot split the Republican vote and allowed Hochul to capture the win.  

Foreign Affairs

Lance touched briefly on foreign policy during prepared remarks and received one question on the military. He said that he would like to see more citizens focused on international issues and decried cable news networks' focus on the sex scandal embroiling U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.). He also called for more information from the Obama Administration regarding its decision to commence bombing over Libya.

Anthony Weiner Sex Scandal

Attendees asked Lance whether he would call on Weiner, who serves with Lance on the Energy and Commerce Committee, to resign for having sent sexually explicit messages to women via Facebook and Twitter and subsequently lying to reporters when he denied having done so.

Lance did not directly answer the question, but assured members of the audience, “I believe I will always conduct myself as a member of Congress, regardless of whether you agree with me or disagree with me, in a manner that I hope to recognize public life as a public trust." The remark was met with applause.

Alan Neuhauser contributed reporting.