Representative Emily Randall tackles tough questions in Sequim Town Hall

By Tina Tyler

Town Hall attendees

On September 6, 2025, Congresswoman Emily Randall held a town hall at Guy Cole Center in Sequim. Over 200 people were in attendance for this question-and-answer session with our representative in the House.

Several pre-speakers addressed their concerns on local impacts:

• Leah, a social worker and special needs mom, described how Medicaid cuts, SNAP cuts, and increased paperwork to access the remaining benefits will hurt people. Staffing cuts limit ability to process the paperwork. Local providers are starting to limit their patients because it is fiscally impossible to continue without payments.
• Amy, a Dean of Transitional Studies at Peninsula Community College, said cuts to adult education will severely limit people getting their high school diplomas (GEDs) and training for jobs. Currently, they are looking at a 20% cut in funding at Peninsula College.

Commissioner Mark Ozias

​Commissioner Mark Ozias emphasized that people need to forge relationships and come together to fight the psychological fear of our neighbors that the Trump administration evokes. In his introduction of Emily Randall, Ozias emphasized that the Congresswoman understands the importance of building unions and knows how to work across the aisle.

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Representative Emily Randall

Rep. Randall picked up the theme, noting that she comes home from D.C. almost every weekend to keep in touch with her constituents and neighbors. During this difficult time, she said, it is important to take care of each other.
  
“We are lucky with our local and state leaders,” she said, which will be important in charting a path forward. She is hoping Congress will be in a position in the future to pass better policy.

Rep. Randall then received questions ranging from illegal use of the military and Gaza concerns, to local issues like new ferries and the Elwha land transfer. 

• Illegal Use of the Military: Randall characterized it as a fascist program to institute anti-immigrant policies. Congress can’t sue because Speaker Johnson is unlikely to support it, but the Democrats are supporting those private entities who file suits. There are some victories in court rulings, but the administration never acknowledges those; they just go to the next issue. She was brutally honest when she said, “I do feel it will get worse before it gets better. But we will not stop going forward.”
• Visibility Act: There are many good bills introduced that will never see the light of day under the current leadership. House members are currently trying a maneuver called a ‘Discharge Petition’ which requires all the Democrats plus six Republicans to sign on to get something to the floor. Democratic members are hopeful that they can get six Republicans on board to get bills to the floor. 
• Ferry contract: Emily was thanked for being on the Ferry Caucus, but people expressed disappointment that the Governor awarded the contract to a company in Florida. Randall acknowledged that Washington State had a ‘build-in-Washington’ policy, but when she was in the State Senate, she voted to open it up to other states because the bids, at that time, were double what was budgeted and Washington was in desperate need of new ferries. If a state has a policy of favoring in-state contracts, they cannot access federal funds. While she would like to see Washington State be a leader in shipbuilding, this decision was a financial one to address an urgent need. Cancelling the contract would delay adding new ferries to the system by several more years.
• Block the Bombs Act: Randall felt the Silver Shield Act had better mechanisms than the Block the Bombs Act, which relied on Israel’s promise to not use U.S. bombs in Gaza. Silver Shield does not hinge on Israel’s cooperation. [Block the Bombs specifies weapons like bunker-buster bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), and artillery shells, and allows for transfers only if the President obtains written assurances from Israel that the weapons will be used in compliance with international law and for specific, statutorily defined purposes. Silver Shield would monitor the use of U.S.-provided defense articles and services to determine if they have been used in ways that cause civilian harm or violate international humanitarian or human rights laws, and would require ineligibility for U.S. aid or transfers if such violations are found.]
• Efforts against the Trump Administration: The right wing has amassed a huge media effort to control how people get their news. The Democrats are hiring new media experts, trying nontraditional methods and looking to podcasters and influencers to help build a record of truth.
• Will Washington and six other states pilot a Medicaid program? Randall did not know, but said creation of a state Medicaid program would need huge new technical support to monitor work requirement verification. 
• AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) support: Randall was asked by an attendee not to accept funds, nor communicate or accept ‘free’ junkets from AIPAC. Freshman members to the House often go on an AIPAC junket and there is a lot of pressure to do so, but several, including Randall, withdrew from the trip.
  Randall emphasized that she will continue to meet with ALL constituents and, regardless of their requests and contributions, she will follow what is right for her and her constituents. She votes in line with her values, not the money.
• Will you support the Global fund? Yes, global public health is our best defense. The gutting of our health programs is less about human rights and all about preserving funds for the Trump agenda. 
• Status of the Elwha land transfer? It is out of the committee and yet to go to the floor for a vote. We are working on getting it there, but as you probably know, this session is already dominated by other issues.
• What can I say to friends who are afraid of the Administration? We all need to be checking in with our vulnerable folks – immigrants, LGBQT+, military, federal employees, etc. There are incredible mutual aid and Rapid Response groups sprouting up to help people. Encourage friends in other states to CALL their congress people. Keep the pressure up. 
• What family emergency was more important than voting on the rescission bill? [Note: The Rescissions Act of 2025 is a law passed by the 119th United States Congress. It rescinded $7.9 billion in funding from international assistance programs and $1.1 billion in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.] Randall noted that there are times when she has to make tough decisions between work and family. She has lost several family members and it was important to be there for them in their last days. She did everything she could to arrange a way to vote, but it didn’t work out. She was able to make the second vote. 

​As she wrapped up her remarks, Randall said how much she appreciates hearing from everyone. She knows she can’t make everyone happy, but said she is doing the best she can.

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Photo credit: All images by Tina Tyler.