Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-5) answered questions from New Britain residents at a town-hall style online forum on Tuesday evening.
In the forum, held on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, Congresswoman Hayes discussed issues including education, child care, police, immigration and the economic stimulus legislation. About fifty residents participated in the event.
Congresswoman Hayes discussed the challenges she has faced as woman member of Congress, saying that, in many ways, she and other female members of Congress are not afforded the same respect as male legislators.
Former New Britain Superintendent Ron Jakubowski asked Congresswoman Hayes about educational equity and continuing school segregation.
Congresswoman Hayes says that she has taken to task Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education in the administration of Republican President Donald Trump, over lack of attention to educational equity. Hayes said that educational success should not depend on the zip code where you live, and that she has been working to diversify the education workforce and provide additional resources for local schools.
Discussing re-opening schools after pandemic closings, Hayes said that she considers child care essential, noting that many parents could not afford to miss work while children distance learning. Hayes said that she hoped legislation to expand child care may be approved with a Democratic majority Senate, as well as House of Representatives.
Congresswoman Hayes also said that she has been working to win approval of legislation to make college education affordable and student financial aid more accessible.
Access to the school lunch program, Congresswoman Hayes said, is a food security issue, saying that she has been advocating for the program. Hayes said that she has been working to resist cuts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program. The website of that program says that it,
provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency.
Congresswoman Hayes was asked if she supports defunding the police, and she responded that she does not. Hayes’ husband, Milford, is a Waterbury Police Detective.
Hayes said that she has been a strong supporter of reforms to policing. She voted in favor of House of Representatives approval of the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act, which she said bans choke holds and no knock warrants in drug cases, provides training resources for police officers, has a requirement for law enforcement body cameras and makes lynching a federal crime.
Noting that Connecticut has the sixth highest racial disparity in incarceration, Congresswoman Hayes said that it is important to rebuild trust in policing. She said that she supports reforms, such as police community review boards.
A proposal was considered to create a strong police community review board in New Britain, but it was voted down by City Council Republicans in a Council committee. Republicans are currently the majority party on the City Council.
Hayes also discussed a question raised by Adrienne Benjamin about an incident of police in another town being confrontational with a person who has Down Syndrome. Hayes noted said that there is a need for resources for community programs that are more appropriate to help people with different needs than policing in many cases.
Congresswoman Hayes answered a question posed by Ann Speyer about immigration, the Trump child separation policy and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy for people brought to the United States as children.
Hayes said that the widely condemned decision to separate children of migrants from their parents came right from the top in the Trump administration. She said that she is appalled at the lack of record keeping, when children were separated, now hampering efforts to reunite children with their parents.
Hayes said that many people who say that immigrants should have to, “wait in line,” in the immigration system do not know that, for most immigrants, there is no line to wait in, with the legal immigration system allowing no real options.
Congresswoman Hayes, who voted in favor of the American Dream and Promise Act, for people in the DACA program, said that the whole immigration system also needs to be reformed. Hayes said that every person deserves to be treated with dignity.
Congresswoman Hayes discussed the economic stimulus package, under negotiations between Congressional Democrats and Republicans and the Trump administration.
Hayes said that the “skinny” stimulus package proposed by Republicans in Congress would provide tax breaks for corporations for tax years going back to 2018, but provide little to everyday people and put people seeking unemployment benefits through a great deal of red tape. The reason Democrats have been holding out for a better stimulus plan, Hayes said, is that the Republican plan leaves everyday people behind.
Congresswoman Hayes said that she is hopeful that stimulus legislation will be approved in Congress soon.
Willis Moore asked Congresswoman Hayes about access to educational technology for students who need it for virtual learning because of the pandemic. Hayes discussed that she is advocating for school districts to receive the resources needed to connect students while distance learning.
Toward the end of the event, Congresswoman Hayes opined that she has felt that her experience in life has prepared her for the issues in Congress affecting everyday people. She said that she can connect everything she has voted on with a name and face of someone she knows, and why it is important for their lives.
“Appreciate you so VERY much, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes,” Norma Brown commented during the event.
“Very informative,” said Tre Brown, “thank you Congresswoman Jahana Hayes.”
Congresswoman Jahana Hayes represents the Fifth Congressional District in Connecticut, making her New Britain’s Representative in Congress.
The forum was held using the Zoom online service.
