Disagreeing without being Disagreeable
Hello again,
You’ve got to love this time of year. The leaves are turning. Pumpkin spice latte is back! Both the Huskies and the Cougars got wins this weekend! Life is good!
Perhaps the only cloud on the horizon is the daily toxicity we see on our televisions these days.
With that in mind, I want to focus this newsletter on a simple concept - civility.
This past year, I joined a group called the Congressional Civility and Respect Caucus. The group formed as a response to some of the incivility our country has experienced in recent years. From a shooting at a Congressional baseball practice to the events in Charlottesville to the erosion of respectful discourse, it’s clear our country has a lot of work to do as we work to form a “more perfect union.”
I joined the group because, despite what’s on cable news every night, I believe it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. Rather than seeing Congress continue to be overcome by dysfunction and partisan bickering, I think there’s value in trying to find some common ground so that Congress can actually make progress on behalf of the American people.
This past week, I participated in a “Civility Exchange” with my colleague (and fellow participant in the Civility and Respect Caucus) Representative Dan Newhouse from Eastern Washington. I visited Dan’s district on Monday, and he came to our neck of the woods on Friday.
So, why did we do that?
Well - first off, part of the way you get a better understanding of where someone is coming from is to actually get an understanding of where someone is coming from.
Beyond that, though, we both think it is important to start a conversation with folks in our state about what we all have in common. And even where we have our differences (and Dan and I certainly have some disagreements on policy), we both agree that it’s important to engage each other in a respectful and civil way.
Here’s a recap of our tour:
Making New Friends
Hanford Site
Our first stop was at the Hanford Site along the Columbia River. As many folks know, this is the site of one of the largest nuclear materials cleanups in the world. The scale of the project is pretty hard to imagine - but it framed the rest of our week well. Communities across the country are counting on Washington, DC to fund, supervise and support all kinds of high stakes projects that matter in people’s lives. When the conversation is more focused on finger pointing than results, it has consequences for people across the country.
Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce
Our next stop on the tour was the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce. Dan and I sat down with local business leaders and had a great conversation about how finding common ground can create more economic opportunities for more people in more places.
Washington State University Tri-Cities Campus
Our last stop of the day was at WSU’s Tri-City campus in Richland, where we had a townhall-style meeting with students and talked about the three building blocks of civil discourse:
- Confidence - The goal of political conversations isn’t always about changing minds. Be confident in your beliefs.
- Courage - Have the courage to respect someone who thinks differently than you.
- Collaboration - Seek to build a relationship with someone who disagrees. You may not agree now, but there is bound to be something that both of you can work on together.
The students asked some great questions, and we had a great time. WSU Tri-Cities streamed the event on FacebookLive, which is available here.
Touring our Region
On Friday, I hosted Dan for a busy day in our region.
Tool Gauge and Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber Business Forum
For our first stop, we visited Tool Gauge, a local manufacturer of high-quality plastic and metal parts for the aerospace industry. The facility was state of the art, and it was great to hear about the company’s tremendous growth in Tacoma.
In addition to touring this innovative business, we had a roundtable meeting with members of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce where we talked about the value of working to find common ground and encouraging more civil discussions.
University of Washington Tacoma
Next, we went to the UW-Tacoma for the second student forum of our tour. We had a great time talking about the need for Congress to change some of its rules so there’s more debate and more gets done. We also chatted with the students about some of their concerns, including student debt and criminal justice reform. We agreed with the students that there ought to be an opportunity to make some bipartisan progress on these important issues. You can watch the Facebook Live of this visit here.
Naval Base Kitsap Bangor
We then met with a diverse group that included submariners, employees of the shipyard and the Naval Hospital and others associated with Naval Base Kitsap. One of the submariners pointed out that, when their crew gets on a sub - even though they have different perspectives and different backgrounds - they’ve got to figure out how to work together. Seems like a good message for Congress!
We talked about the legislation that Rep. Newhouse and I have worked on together. For example, we both pushed for a recent measure in Congress that gave sailors and all of the members of our armed forces a pay raise. We also tag-teamed on a bill to improve the services that the VA offers called the VA Management Alignment Act.
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Finally, we ended our day at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. I like to bring visitors to the shipyard because I think it shows the important role our community plays in keeping the Navy afloat and the important role the Navy plays in our community.
Beyond that, PSNS shows what’s on the line when Congress fails to work together and pass a budget. When Congress fails to do its job, people at the shipyard and tens of thousands of workers across the region could receive furlough notices. I think our public servants deserve better from Congress. And the current system that relies on kicking the can every couple of months makes it really hard for the shipyard to plan its operations.
Overall, we had a great time. And hopefully, we started an important conversation with folks across the region.
Our Founders expected that there would be disagreements in our political system. Debate and disagreement are parts of a healthy democracy. But the vitriol and dysfunction that we’ve seen out of DC in recent years isn’t healthy. And it sets a bad example for our kids.
To find common ground, we have to seek it together. And I’m thankful that Dan and his team worked with me to start that conversation.
Working For You
Here’s what else I’ve been up to as I’ve traveled around our region these last couple of weeks:
Protecting Our Workers
I was honored to receive a leadership award from LiUNA’s African American Caucus, a group that fights for equality and worker’s rights across the country. I look forward to our continued work together.
Saving Our Orcas
Last week, I spoke to the Governor’s Orca Task Force about the work I’m doing in Congress to protect Puget Sound. With Rep. Denny Heck, I’m the co-chair of the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus. We recently introduced legislation called the Preventing Pollution through Partnership Act. The bill would help state and local governments team up with developers to build new green infrastructure projects that trap stormwater runoff, the leading source of pollution in Puget Sound. Last week I toured the green infrastructure projects at the Center for Urban Waters in Tacoma and spoke with local leaders and experts about how we can tackle this problem. We streamed it on FacebookLive, which you can check out here.
Honoring our Veterans
Too many of the 7.2 million living veterans who served our nation in Vietnam have not been recognized for their services and sacrifices. I hosted two more pinning ceremonies as part of the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Vietnam War. We had awesome turnout in Ocean Shores and Port Angeles, and it was my honor to be able to present more than 150 pins to veterans at the two events. To everyone in Port Angeles and Ocean Shores who came out for the pinning ceremonies - thank you.
Connecting Our Tribal Communities
I had a bunch of interesting meetings over the last two weeks, including the opportunity to meet with the leaders of the Hoh Tribe. We discussed my Broadband for All Act which would help communities build the infrastructure they need to get connected.
I also met with leaders of the Quileute Tribe. We celebrated the news that the Tribe has received a $44.1 million grant that will help relocate the tribe’s school to higher ground. I’ve been pushing hard for these funds as a member of the Appropriations committee, at hearings with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and with letters of support. I’m thrilled it finally came through.
That’s it for this week. Remember - you’re the boss. Don’t hesitate to reach out if I can ever be of assistance.
As always, it’s an honor to represent you.
Derek