{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://brecheen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=196", "Congressman Brecheen: Here\u2019s What I Am Hearing From the People of Oklahoma\u2019s 2nd Congressional District", "2023-08-21", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "House", "OK", "Josh Brecheen", "B001317", "brecheen.house.gov", "brecheen", "https://brecheen.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 In case you missed it, Congressman Josh Brecheen published the below op-ed in the McCarville Report after hosting 60 in-person town halls in his first eight months in office.\n\nThe Oklahoma City Sentinel\u2019s Patrick McGuigan also wrote about the town halls, which you can check out here.\n\nYou can read the op-ed here or below:\n\n\u201cDuring my first eight months in office, I have had the privilege of hosting 60 in-person town halls throughout Oklahoma\u2019s 2nd Congressional District.\n\nFrom Washington and Ottawa all the way down to Bryan and McCurtain counties, it has been an honor to travel throughout the district and meet so many wonderful people.\n\nAs a former field representative for the late Senator Tom Coburn, I have always believed that in-person town halls are the best way for Members of Congress to learn and hear from their constituents.\n\nUnfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has made in-person town halls almost a thing of the past.\n\nWhile holding these town halls, I have had the opportunity to meet so many constituents from all walks of life\u2014many of whom share the same concerns. Whether a Republican, Independent, or Democrat, constituents are understandably worried about where our nation is headed.\n\nOur national debt now stands at more than $32 trillion as we have a federal government that is living beyond its means. This spending addiction has helped fuel an inflation crisis that has led the average Oklahoma family to spend roughly $7,000 more than they did the year before. The sad reality is that our growing national debt means that our children and grandchildren will have a lower standard of living than previous generations unless we change course quickly.\n\nOur federal government is increasingly being weaponized against the American people. Whether you are a law-abiding gunowner, a Bible-loving Christian, or a parent who is concerned about what their child is being taught in schools, the Biden Administration has gone above and beyond to punish Americans who do not think like them.\n\nWe have a crisis on our Southern border which has allowed deadly fentanyl to flow into our communities, poisoning more than 300 Oklahomans in 2022 alone.\n\nThe solutions to these problems are not easy. It will take politicians in Washington who are willing to put the interests of the country ahead of their own self-interest.\n\nBut it will also take everyone. Politics is downstream of culture and it is up to all of us to be a part of the solution.\n\nI look forward to hosting more town halls in the near future so we can continue to work to solve some of America\u2019s toughest challenges together.\n\nIf you would like to stay up-to-date on our next town halls, you can follow our Facebook page here.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-07T14:30:38Z", "2026-04-07T14:34:06Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://brecheen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=196"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.100827008485794, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}