Congressman Derek Kilmer held a town hall meeting in the Aberdeen High School auditorium Sunday afternoon and spent a great deal of time talking about how fixes to the current Affordable Care Act were preferable to the current administration’s plan of a total repeal.

Kilmer, a Democrat representing the 6th District, including the Olympic Peninsula, said fixes to the Affordable Care Act can be made. The individual market could be stabilized by guaranteeing cost sharing reductions and creating a permanent reinsurance program. He called for cost reductions for low-income Americans and small businesses. “I talk to a lot of small businesses, and those that don’t offer their employees health insurance don’t do it (not) because they don’t want to, they simply cannot afford it.” He also favors a public option — the creation of a government-run health insurance agency — which he said would increase competition among insurers and keep insurance costs down.

We should be open to broader reform if it represents progress, said Kilmer. He called for universality of health care, and greater access to quality and affordable health care.

Aberdeen Mayor Erik Larson introduced Kilmer, who started with, “I came here from the Grays Harbor County Fair on my annual tour of deep fried foods in the district. Today it was a pickle.”

Kilmer acknowledged a number of local officials who attended the town hall, including Larson, Ocean Shores Mayor Crystal Dingler, County Commissioner Randy Ross, Aberdeen City Councilmen Jeff Cook and Alan Richrod, and Dr. James Minkler and Ed Brewster, the current and former presidents of Grays Harbor College.

On the current state of the Congress, Kilmer said “it’s definitely a fixer-upper.” He talked about trying to get the ethics of the current administration and Congress back on track. “Every staff member has to take annual ethics training. Congress does not. I’m trying to change that.”

Keeping with the theme of ethics, Kilmer said the 2010 Citizens United U.S. Supreme Court decision, which said the first amendment right to free speech protects organizations’ right to spend money on campaigns, opened the door to even more money driving policy in Congress.

“I don’t think money is speech, and I don’t think corporations are people,” he said.

That suit pitted conservative non-profit Citizens United against the Federal Election Commission. That commission was founded after the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration to give people the opportunity to “blow the whistle on politicians when they cheat,” said Kilmer. “It worked for a while, until it didn’t.”

The commission is made up of six members, three Republicans and three Democrats. “Guess what every vote comes to? Yes, a 3-3 tie,” said Kilmer. He related a true story about the commission in which they were gearing up to celebrate a 40-year anniversary. They had a vote on whether to serve bagels or donuts, and again deadlocked 3-3. “The correct answer, of course, was donuts,” joked Kilmer.

Much like our own state, Congress has been unable to pass a budget.

“The government is functioning without a budget, which creates great uncertainty for agencies and businesses,” said Kilmer. “Usually in the spring we pass a budget resolution, and in September we pass 12 appropriations bills.” This year not one of those 12 bills have even been called for a vote. He also supports a “no budget, no pay” policy. “If Congress doesn’t pass a budget, they don’t get paid.”

Kilmer said small businesses need support to drive the economy, and said there is some buzz in Congress about a bipartisan effort to reform the tax code. “The tax code places a higher burden on and is more complicated for small businesses in Grays Harbor,” he said. Incentives for small businesses to set up shop and expand in rural areas could be a key to fixing the economy, he said.

The floor was opened to questions, the first asking about Kilmer’s views on immigration reform.

“I am a supporter of a comprehensive immigration reform bill,” he answered. He said there is legislation that would address security at the 19 ports in the 6th District, and “enhance employment based enforcement.” of immigration laws, giving employers the tools to check on employees’ citizenship status and perform background checks. It also includes work visa programs for agricultural and hi-tech jobs and would “remove some of the abuse of that system,” said Kilmer.

A Hoquiam woman asked Kilmer if he supported the effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, to which he emphatically answered “yes.” The amendment was passed by Congress in 1972 but failed to get 75 percent of the states to ratify it. Another effort is under way to take another shot at it

Another woman asked, “I know you’re not in session right now, but is there anything you can do from here to keep the president from bombing North Korea?”

Kilmer said Congress’ power is limited when it comes to presidents and wars. He added it is a very complicated situation with North Korea, “but I don’t think policy should be set in 140 characters on Twitter,” referring to the President’s comments on the social media platform about North Korean threats. “Your concern is shared,” said Kilmer.

The last question dealt with infrastructure. Soon, the president is expected to propose a major package of infrastructure projects. Kilmer said one question is, will it just be “mega-projects” that get the nod, “or will it be more of a strategic plan to include smaller projects as well? We wouldn’t see a benefit in our district from the mega-projects. King County would, but we wouldn’t.”