U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) made an appearance at the College of William and Mary for a town hall meeting Friday, fielding questions on topics including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), job creation and marriage equality.
He began the approximately 90-minute town hall — held in a room at the Christopher Wren Building — saying 2014 appears to be a better year for economic development. Before accepting questions from the audience, he gave some brief remarks on the federal budget and other items related to spending at the national level.
He said the nation’s political system is the single greatest factor slowing the United States’ recovery from the economic downturn, referencing the fiscal cliff, the government shutdown of 2013 and the gridlock in Washington, D.C.
President Barack Obama (D) last week signed a $1.1 trillion federal spending bill funding the government through September. Warner said federal legislators have now “cleaned out the cupboard of one-time fixes and one offs” He said the single biggest issue now facing the nation is “getting the fiscal house in order.”
According to Warner, work remains to be done on Obamacare. He cited “fix-it bills” enabling lawmakers to correct problems in Social Security and Medicare as the type of legislative vehicle to accomplish that work. He said the rollout of Obamacare was a “fiasco” but that there are pieces of the bill that make sense, such as how it helps people with pre-existing conditions to be covered.
He took issue with how the bill “disincentivizes” small businesses from hiring workers full time. As the law currently stands, employers who provide 30 or more hours of work per week to an employee must offer that employee health insurance. He said legislation “is coming” to address that problem.
A woman asked Warner why he would want to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enable same-sex marriage despite what she said is a majority of Virginians who oppose such a measure.
Warner said he supports marriage equality, referring to it as an issue where people’s minds are changing faster than their elected officials.
“People hire me to make my best judgment,” Warner said. He said he does not believe the system requires him to take a poll every time he votes for something. He said he changed his mind on the issue because he saw friends and others in loving relationships who were not able to marry. Same-sex marriage is currently prohibited in Virginia due to a 2006 constitutional amendment ratified by voters.
A man asked Warner about how to revitalize Williamsburg and attract new businesses. Warner referred to the historical resources in the area as a “core asset” before discussing the importance of entrepreneurship in creating economic opportunities. He said student debt is actively hampering the ability of people to be entrepreneurs.
He then mentioned crowdfunding as a potential path for economic development. Crowdfunding is the act of generating investment from many people who come together to finance a project as opposed to a limited number of investors. Legislation enabling crowdfunding was passed in 2012, though regulations from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are not yet in place.
He also mentioned unmanned vehicles — sometimes referred to as drones — as being a vehicle for economic development. Virginia Tech was selected in December as one of six research institutions to spearhead research efforts on safe and effective ways to incorporate unmanned aircraft into domestic airspace. Warner said that field of work could provide opportunities across the state, including on the Peninsula where contractors who work for the federal government are situated.
Another man asked Warner about what can be done to encourage job creation. Warner said some changes in Obamacare could facilitate job creation as could putting an end to so-called patent trolls. A patent troll is a person or company which does not produce anything but instead files patents to collect licensing and usage fees from the companies which do produce things.
Warner also mentioned infrastructure creation as a method to create jobs. He said he supports the creation of a national infrastructure authority, which would give investment groups like pension funds a domestic place to place money which is currently being invested overseas. He also mentioned manufacturing, saying energy costs have come down in the U.S., making domestic manufacturing competitive once more.
Another man asked about minimum wage, saying there are many people in the area making minimum wage whose work enables the economy to exist. Warner said he supports increasing the minimum wage but does not have an exact figure in mind. He said any raise in the wage needs to be phased in over time so employers can plan for it. He also said future raises should be indexed to inflation.
He closed his remarks by asking the audience for three things:
- Vote for people who think
- Turn off Fox News and MSNBC once in a while
- Consider voting for someone from a different political party if that person’s policy positions made sense
Following the town hall, Warner went on a brief tour of work underway on Prince George Street, where a mixed-use development called the Griffin Arms Building is under construction and sidewalk improvements are currently being made. Haulman told Warner the project represents an extension of Merchant’s Square down Prince George Street.
Warner said he does not think there is anywhere in Virginia with as much wealth and knowledge combined with a population young enough to make things happen as Williamsburg.
Warner, who was governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006, is up for re-election in November. He is currently the senior senator from Virginia. Haulman introduced Warner at the Town Hall, calling him a champion for military men and women and “a leader in promoting private sector innovation.”
