Congresswoman Shontel Brown met with the Cleveland Club on March 14.
Having had the experience of one Congress (with Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi), Cong. Brown sees success in the present 118th Congress (with Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy) as hinging on unity and coalition building. “Collaboration is going to be very important,” she told Club members. She added that she was warmly welcomed by members of the Ohio Delegation in the last Congress and has a good working relationship with its Members.
Cong. Brown accentuated her hopes for work on behalf of expanding access to opportunities for people in Ohio’s 11th District. She emphasized the importance of small businesses and described the visit of U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to Cleveland for work in bolstering minority entrepreneurs.
She also described her work co-sponsoring legislation to strengthen the federal SNAP program, especially as it applied to children with medical difficulties. She also expressed her support for President Biden’s effort to grant some debt relief to persons with student loans.
Asked about her feelings on gerrymandering in Ohio, she acknowledged that powers concerning district lines resided far more in Ohio than in Washington. Nevertheless, she pointed out that she would do what she could in Congress to strengthen legislation dealing with federal voting rights.
She noted that besides her work on the Agriculture Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, she had been asked to serve on the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party in the 118th Congress. “This is a committee that includes members from a wide range in Congress and will work with the Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committees to strengthen U.S. cybersecurity, guard against disinformation, and maintain strength relative to that of China,” Cong. Brown said.
She answered a Club member by saying that Democrats are still discussing universal health care but that she could not be sanguine about its moving ahead soon.
Asked how she skirts Washington distractions and connects to her constituents, she said that she keeps her ears open in grocery stores and talks frequently after church with people who are not policy wonks or even particularly engage in political issues.
Asked about Congressional Caucuses, Cong. Brown said they are effective and stimulating. “Caucuses focus your attention on specific issues,” she told the Club membership. “In addition, some are quite large and engage Representatives from different parts of the country who have differing outlooks. You can learn a lot about what people are thinking for shaping legislation; there can be lots of passionate discussion,” she said. She added that the Caucuses both charge fees and make note of attendance, so they are serious groups engaged in serious work.
Asked how the recent Infrastructure Bill could impact Cleveland, Cong. Brown said that work is already underway bringing high-speed internet to NE Ohio neighborhoods. She added that efforts would be forthcoming for roads, bridges, Hopkins airport, and lead pipe replacement. She also noted that she, Mayor Bibb, and County Executive Chris Ronayne would be working with the U. S. Transportation Department to bring improvements to Cleveland. “When you go back,” she said to the Club’s collection of NE Ohio exiles, “you will see we are planning again to have Cleveland become ‘the best location in the nation.’”