About 200 people attend Democrats’ town hall in Yakima
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More than 200 people gathered at the Yakima Convention Center on Wednesday for a town hall hosted by the Washington State Democrats. Some people passed out Representative Dan Newhouse’s phone number, urging people to demand a town hall from the congressman. Organizers say the event was held in response to Newhouse not hosting a public town hall this term.
“The level of anger anxiety is so high not just on Democrats, for Independents, Republicans, even the people who voted for Donald Trump. There’s a huge anger about what’s going on, and they certainly didn’t vote to lose democracy,” said former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
The town hall featured a panel of community leaders, including Inslee, Washington Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad, a registered nurse, a community organizer in Yakima, an army veteran, and a labor union member.
The speakers addressed health care access, immigration enforcement, economic uncertainty, and concerns about democratic institutions — issues they say are urgent.
“It is up to us to hold our elected officials accountable at every level of government. We see this administration trying to divide us. If you look at what’s happening across the country, if you look at what’s happening in central Washington, instead of dividing us, they are unifying us,” said Beltran.
Rep. Newhouse, who represents Washington’s 4th Congressional District, has not held an in-person town hall this term. According to a report by the Tri-City Herald, his last known telephone town hall took place Sept. 2024. His office has mobile office hours with this staff in places like Okanogan, and Klickitat. Many constituents at the town hall say that’s not enough.
Eric Carlson, a high school teacher in Royal City brought stacks of printed cards with Newhouse’s phone number, handing them out to each row at the meeting.
“When I saw this town hall, I wanted to come and speak up,” Carlson said. ”Dan Newhouse isn’t coming and listening. This is the next best thing we could do as constituents.”
Carlson called on Newhouse to again take a stand against President Donald Trump; he referred to the congressman’s previous efforts to impeach the president after the Jan. 6. Insurrection.
“We need that courage again,” Carlson said.
Jacob Garcia was one of the panelists. He teaches nursing Heritage University and spoke about how cuts to Medicaid and Medicare would devastate rural communities like Yakima. About 50% of Yakima County Residents received health insurance through Medicaid and Apple Health in 2023, according to Healthier Washington. In Congressional District 4, 70% of children younger than 19 rely on Apple Health for coverage, according to a report by U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office.
“Apple Health allows people to access care whether it’s a child seeing a pediatrician or an adult managing heart disease,” Garcia said. “Without it, people will wait until the last minute before calling an ambulance, the emergency room becomes their only option,” said Garcia.
Maria Beltran also sat on the panel. She described herself as the proud daughter of Mexican farmworkers. She previously ran for a seat in the senate and, at the rally, addressed how fear has taken hold in local immigrant communities amid ongoing ICE raids.
“People are afraid to go to work, to school, even to the grocery store,” she said. “But despite that fear, we’re standing up and organizing. We’ve always been here — and we’re not going anywhere.”
Asa Washines, a Yakama Nation tribal member and U.S. Army veteran, was another panelist. He highlighted the needs of veterans and Native communities.
“There’s over half a million veterans in Washington state. We can provide more,” Washines said. “Native Americans serve at the highest rate per capita in the military. It’s time we’re recognized and supported.”
According to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press, the Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 employees from Veteran Affairs. Many veterans at the town hall including Washines said they are concerned about what will be left for veterans.
The panelists opened up the town hall for questions at the end. Dan Peters of the Selah School District said he was addressing a question to the absent Newhouse about the Farm to School programs, an initiative to improve student nutrition with food from local farms. Nationwide, the U.S. The Department of Agriculture cut about $660 million in funding for Local Foods For Schools and child care centers.
“We’ve lost the bridge between the fields that feed us and the kids who are going to school hungry,” Peters said. “How will Rep. Newhouse fight for them, too?”
Across congressional district four, constituents are organizing their own town halls to address their needs to Newhouse. Indivisible Tri-Cities, a nonprofit, plans to host a town hall similar to the one in Yakima to collect questions for the congressman.
Local state legislators have held town halls virtually this year, including lawmakers from District 14 and District 15. Constituents are able to contact Newhouse through his website.
Matt Brown, chair of the Yakima County Republican Party, said Newhouse could do more to represent the current administration and that there is a need for local town halls.
“There’s a growing desire to see stronger, more vocal leadership, especially on the issues that matter most to our region. In Yakima County, folks want to see their representative. There’s a clear appetite for more public engagement town halls, open forums, and face-to-face conversations,” said Brown.
“This was a powerful night,” said Ninh Khuu, a Ph.D. student researching hops at WSU Prosser and a member of the academic workers union UAW 4591.
People at the town hall asked what people could do next. He said people need to call their representatives and get organized to share what is happening in their communities.
“If you are not calling, other people are,” Khuu said. “They won’t care unless someone tells them to.”
NWPB reached out to Dan Newhouse’s office and they did not respond.
Jasper Sundeen from the Yakima Herald contributed to this report.Reneé Diaz may be contacted at
Renee.diaz@wenatcheeworld.com. Collaborative reporting by The Wenatchee World, NWPB and WSU’s Murrow College of Communication Newsroom Fellowship.
