{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://randall.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-emily-randall-and-mp-johns-co-host-cross-border-leaders-summit", "Congresswoman Emily Randall and MP Johns Co-Host Cross-Border Leaders' Summit", "2025-11-18", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Emily Randall", "R000621", "randall.house.gov", "randall", "https://randall.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington DC \u2014 U.S. Congresswoman Emily Randall (WA-06) and NDP Canadian Federal Member of Parliament Gord Johns (Courtenay\u2013Alberni) co-chaired May These Gates Never Be Closed: A Cross-Border Dialogue for the Pacific Northwest, an ad-hoc gathering of local leaders from coastal British Columbia and Washington State hosted by the newly formed Collective Coast Association.\n\nThe meeting brought together more than a dozen mayors, First Nations chiefs, county and district chairs, along with two state representatives, Director Nguy\u1ec5n of the Washington Department of Commerce, and special guest U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen (WA-02), for a candid discussion about the impacts of President Trump\u2019s escalating tariffs and inflammatory pro-annexation rhetoric.\n\n\u201cThe United States has the great luck of being neighbors with Canada,\u201d said Congresswoman Emily Randall. \u201cNeighbors relying on each other across shared waters, cultures, and borders. Washington and British Columbia are incredibly interconnected \u2014 through our economy, our workforce, Tribes and First Nations, and the families who move between our communities every day. I was honored to Co-Chair today\u2019s conversation alongside MP Johns about how to strengthen this partnership and make sure our communities on both sides of the Strait continue to thrive together.\u201d\n\nLocal leaders on both sides of the border emphasized that the President\u2019s decisions have created widespread uncertainty, encouraged boycotts, and caused real economic harm in closely connected communities that rely on stable, predictable cross-border relationships.\n\nThe Collective Coast Association\u2014a new, community-driven organization made up of members from both countries\u2014was established to strengthen cooperation across the Pacific Northwest. The group organized this virtual forum after witnessing the destabilizing effects of the tariff crisis and recognizing that regional leaders from both sides of the border need a space to work together constructively.\n\nThe event\u2019s title, \u201cMay These Gates Never Be Closed,\u201d comes from the inscription in the Peace Arch at the Canada-U.S. border and reflects the deep, enduring friendship between people in British Columbia and Washington State.\n\n\u201cThese tariffs are being felt everywhere in my riding,\u201d said MP Johns. \u201cMunicipalities are struggling with procurement because they don\u2019t know what materials might be hit next. I\u2019ll keep fighting for people in Ottawa\u2014but this dialogue helps ensure that their concerns are heard directly in Washington, D.C., too.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe truth is simple: B.C. and Washington will always be neighbors, no matter who is in government,\u201d said Alex Hunter, founder of the Collective Coast Association. \u201cWe can\u2019t move our countries apart. What we can do is protect the shared values that help us move forward together.\u201d\n\nMP Johns and Rep. Randall will continue working with local communities as they navigate the ongoing uncertainty created by the tariff environment and the broader unpredictability of the Trump administration.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "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://randall.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-emily-randall-and-mp-johns-co-host-cross-border-leaders-summit"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.732033047825098, "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"}