Update: Hecklers in support of Palestinians briefly disrupt Longview congressional town hall

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez addresses Social Security solvency, sea lions, other issues at hour-long meeting at Lower Columbia College

This story has been updated to include campaign contributions to MGP’s 2023-24 election campaign by a pro-Israeli group, as well as the congresswoman’s response.

Shouting “Free Palestine! Free Palestine! Free Palestine!” several people were escorted out of a congressional town hall meeting after heckling and yelling profanities at Southwest Washington Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Thursday evening.

The individuals, who were scattered in several places among an audience of about 100, interrupted what was otherwise a peaceful one-hour session at the Lower Columbia College Rose Center.

The disrupters ignored demands to comport themselves by retired Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Stephen Warning, who acted as moderator. Police then removed them from the building.

As they were led out, Warning remarked, “Would we rather hear what the Congresswoman has to say, or (to) the children’s hour.”

The minute-or-two outburst erupted after Warning read out a question about how to end the conflict in Gaza, in which Israel is accused of conducting a genocidal war in retaliation for the October 2023 attack in which Hamas killed 1,143 Israelis and took hostages.

The war has killed about 62,000 people — the vast majority of them Palestinian. Another 160,000 or so have been injured, and Gaza’s Palestinian population is at risk of mass starvation.

The Skamania Democrat never really had a chance to answer the question. In the past, she has supported Israel’s right to defend itself. Thursday night she did say Hamas should surrender the Israeli hostages. She said she is not an expert on the issue and noted that experts disagree about what is in the best national interests of America.

When I tried to get further answers from her after the meeting, her staff hustled her into a car and said they were in a hurry to get her home.

One could argue, perhaps, that the Skamania Democrat could be more vocal about the Gaza catastrophe and the need to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And is she reticent because the American Israel Public Affairs Committee was the largest donor to her campaign in the 2023-24 election cycle? It donated $190,401 to her campaign, accounting for 1.6% of the nearly $11.7 million n she raised, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

Tim Gowen, a spokeswoman for the Gluesenkamp Perz re-election campaign, responded to mhy text to her requesting comment. "None of the Congresswoman’s positions are influenced by campaign contributions. All of these contributions come from American citizens who support Marie’s campaign. She believes that, as our ally and as the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel has a right to exist and defend itself."

On other hand, should her constituents really expect a sophomore member of Congress to solve a conflict that goes back millennia, that has defied attempted resolution by great diplomats, and which is mostly under the purview of the presidency?

The town hall meeting clearly was orchestrated to prevent outbursts as much as possible. The Congresswoman gave a short introduction, then Warning read questions the audience submitted in writing. They were seated on stage on opposite sides of a short round table with the U.S. and Washington flags behind them. There was no audience live mic.

The 3rd District Representative wore jeans, tennis shoes and an orange sweat shirt with the logo of a laborers’ union on the back. The casual dress was a reminder that Gluesenkamp Perez, who co-owns a Portland car repair shop, has emphasized her rural roots throughout her political career.

Gluesenkamp Perez often gave rambling answers to the questions. She’s articulate one-on-one. However, her tendency to go on tangents troubles her as a public speaker, as it did with her answer to a question about how the area can prepare for the next Mount St. Helens eruption.

Here are some highlights from the meeting. The second-term congresswoman:

• Advocated for eliminating the maximum taxable earnings limit for Social Security taxes, which is $176,100 for 2025. She said subjecting all earned income to the tax would solve most of the shortfall in the program, which now is projected to run dry by the middle of next decade.

• Touted her efforts to get ethics standards adopted to make sure that Congress flags members who go into cognitive decline, an effort that has yet to gain much traction.

• Said she is pursuing a way to increase the options to remove salmon-chomping sea lions from the Columbia River. Populations of sea lions, which are shielded by the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act, have exploded over the past 30 years and retarded the region’s costly fish recovery efforts.

• Noted that the House Appropriations Committee, of which she is a member, passed her amendment to investigate the impact of consolidation in the infant formula industry. It was one of only five amendments from minority Democrats to pass.

This week, Gluesenkamp Perez learned that she will face state Sen. John Braun, a Chehalis Republican who represents part of Cowlitz County, for re-election in 2026.

She never brought up Braun’s name Thursday night. Nor, for that matter, did she mention President Trump, although she said in her introduction that “we are in a crisis of wealth and inequality in this country.” That was an apparent reference to the GOP’s passage of tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy and, according to budget experts, will contribute an additional $4 trillion to the national debt, which now stands at about $37 trillion.

Since taking office, Gluesenkamp Perez has stuck to pragmatic district concerns, such as the need for more job training. She has not waded much into national or international debates, although she has been a strong defender of reproductive rights and has been highly critical of the recently passed budget bill.

Gluesenkamp Perez he said more Congressional members should adopt her approach and view the job through a “local lens.” It leads to “better policy,“ she said.

She will hold two other town halls this month. The next will be at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 20 at the Battle Ground Event Center, 912 E. Main St., Battle Ground.

The other will start at 5:30 p.m. Friday, August 22, at the Hegewald Center at the Skamania County Fairgrounds, 710 S.W. Rock Creek in Stevenson.