A ‘Day In the Life’ During the August District Work Period
Hello Folks –
I hope this finds you well. It’s hard to believe August is nearly over. The Mariners are in the thick of the wildcard race. Football season is about to kick off. Kids are about to head back to school. And it’s been an astonishingly busy few weeks here in our neck of the woods. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in!
Showing Up
As many of you know, Congress holds a district work period each August to enable Members of Congress to spend time visiting with the folks they represent. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been running from pillar to post around our region (and occasionally over Zoom!) – meeting with small businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations; attending festivals and fairs; on video conference calls; and making myself available everywhere I can to connect with folks.
I’m often asked: “When you are home, what does a day look like?”. So, I thought I’d give you a sneak peek of an average day during the district work period. I give you: Thursday, August 10th.
5:00am – Wake Up
I get up early to get in some exercise, drink a couple cups of coffee, eat some breakfast (granola and blueberries), and get ready to hit the road.
6:00am – Drive to Bainbridge Island
The district I have the honor of representing includes over 710,000 people and covers just under 7,000 square miles! It’s my responsibility to make sure I am representing people in every corner of the district, and today, I’m starting off on Bainbridge Island in Kitsap County.
7:45am – Meet with the Bainbridge Island Oatmeal Club
To start off the day, I joined the folks at the Bainbridge Island Oatmeal Club for a working breakfast (hint: they all had Oatmeal… I’d already eaten my daily granola!) to update them on my efforts to strengthen our economy and make Congress more effective. We talked about how the Inflation Reduction Act is going to drive down the cost of prescription drugs, how the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help expand high-speed broadband across our region, and how the Honoring Our PACT Act is going to help veterans who were exposed to toxic substances get the health care they need. It’s important to me to make sure I am available to hear folks’ concerns and answer their questions, as well as update them on what’s going on in our government.
9:00am – Drive to Port Orchard
9:00am - Calls with Constituents
As many readers know, I’m committed to responding to the folks who write or call into our office. Oftentimes, when someone from our region contacts my office about a problem with their VA benefits, or their small business is in crisis, I reach out personally to hear their story and see how I can lend a hand. Whether it’s handling an issue with the VA, getting through to the IRS, or securing disaster relief funding through FEMA, my office is here to help. Over the past few years, I’ve spoken with folks from every corner of our region. Those conversations have given me a sense of urgency to push for measures to have the backs of the folks I represent.
10:00am – Meet with Peninsula Community Health Services
No matter who you are or where you’re from, you ought to be able to find quality and affordable healthcare close to home. It was great getting to celebrate National Community Health Center Week and acknowledge the incredible contributions of organizations like Peninsula Community Health. I visited their clinic in Port Orchard and saw up close their critical efforts to expand access to primary care and mental health services in our neck of the woods.
11:00am – Speak to the South Kitsap Chamber of Commerce
As many readers of this newsletter know, before I came to Congress I worked in economic development in the South Sound. In that role, I always wanted elected officials to start with a simple message: Thank you for doing business in our state, thanks for employing people, and thanks for contributing to our economy. That’s why my next stop was the South Kitsap Chamber of Commerce, where I had the opportunity to thank the Chamber and local small business leaders for their efforts to keep and grow jobs in our region, and to update them on my own efforts to create more economic opportunity for more people in more places.
12:30pm – Drive to Bremerton
1:00pm – Meet with Kitsap Homes of Compassion
Once back in Bremerton, I stopped by Kitsap Homes of Compassion – an awesome organization that is working to provide safe, affordable, permanent housing through comprehensive support services for those who are experiencing homelessness or are struggling with housing insecurity. I was grateful to Executive Director Scott Willard, Housing Coordinator Madison Roszak, Dave De Bruyn, Chair of the Board of Directors, and the rest of the team for showing me around – and for the work they do to help get folks in our region housed!
2:30pm – Conference Call with Connor Hearing Aid Clinic & Kitsap Audiology
Next up was a conference call with the Conor Hearing Aid Clinic and Kitsap Audiology, two companies that provide hearing aids and services in Kitsap County to primarily non-military federal employees with work-related hearing loss. I had a chance to hear their concerns about new rules related to hearing aid reimbursement. It’s important to me that the benefits folks rely on aren’t taken away right when they need them most.
3:00pm – Speak at the Veterans History Project
Next up, I visited the Norm Dicks Government Building in Bremerton, where my office partnered with the Library of Congress to give community leaders and veterans an opportunity to tell their stories. Created in 2000 by Congress, the Veterans History Project provides veterans with a platform to share and preserve their personal narratives about their time in uniform and help Americans understand military service and its importance to our country’s history. I am thrilled to bring this project to life for Washington’s 6th District and help tell the stories of the brave men and women who have so valiantly served our country.
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5:30pm – Head Home
6:00pm – Chow time!
During the summer, I try to make it a priority to have dinner with my kiddos as much as possible. On tonight’s menu: spaghetti and meatballs!
7:00pm – Catch-Up on Letters
Here’s the deal – if you call or email and ask for a response back, you’ll get one. Today, I wrote a few letters to constituents who wrote about everything from broadband access to affordable housing to restoring salmon populations.
10:00pm – Bedtime
That’s a wrap! Time for bed. Up early the next day for another full day!
I could’ve given plenty of other examples. Like on August 11th, when I started my day with a tour of the USGS Marrowstone Marine Field Station to learn about their Puget Sound recovery efforts; met with community leaders at the Port of Port Townsend’s Boat Haven Main Breakwater Replacement Project, one of my office’s FY24 Community Project Funding requests; and ended the day with a visit to the Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-Op, a local full-service boat shop that has been operating in the Port of Port Townsend since 1981.
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Or August 15th, when I started my day at my Tacoma office, hosting a virtual funding workshop with our partners at FEMA; headed to Bates Technical College to participate in a SNAP roundtable with community leaders, where we discussed the importance of nutrition programs for families and the critical need to reject partisan efforts aimed at curbing food benefits for low-income families; and had a call with the Gorst Coalition Executive Committee, before heading out to pick up my kids for a particularly amazing program at the Pantages Theater in Tacoma – an Imagination Library celebration with Dolly Parton herself! It was a terrific event to commemorate achieving full program coverage in Washington State, ensuring every child in Washington from birth to age five is eligible to enroll in the book-gifting program.
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In other words, every day is an adventure! And every day it’s an honor to serve you!
Working for You
Experiencing the Local Food Scene
One of my favorite parts of our district: discovering new restaurants that are contributing to the vitality (and deliciousness) of our community. Thanks to Kyle and the team at Green Crow Tacos in Port Townsend for some amazing tacos – and for employing folks and doing business in our region!
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Checking in with Local Partners
It was great to check in with the folks from the Metropolitan Development Council to learn more about how I can be a partner in their efforts to provide services in the areas of healthcare, housing, education, and employment that address the challenges faced by low-income individuals and families across Tacoma.
Leading the Charge in Innovation
Last week I had the opportunity to speak at the Congressional Startup Day celebration in Tacoma, organized by the Tacoma Maritime Innovation Incubator and Startup253. It was inspiring to see so many entrepreneurs and innovators in one place, all working to ensure that Tacoma leads the charge in setting the gold standard for innovation and entrepreneurship.
OK – that’s it for now, folks. As always, I’m honored to represent you.
Sincerely,
Derek Kilmer