Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., didn’t have time to speak to AU College Democrats on campus. So AU College Democrats came to him.
Nine AU College Democrats visited Van Hollen’s Capitol Hill office March 5 on Van Hollen’s invitation to discuss fiscal policy.
The congressman spent 45 minutes with the students, postponing another legislative meeting and offering his own office to another group that had reserved the conference room where they met.
“He was not able to come to campus because he is very busy, but he invited us to come,” said Benjamin Ritz, director of AU Dems’ Fiscal Policy Caucus.
Van Hollen spoke to the students about the increasing budget deficit that will need to be dealt with after the presidential elections and the need to respond to expiring tax-cuts and heightened partisan tensions in Congress.
“There’s minimal support from the Republican side for a balanced approach,” Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen also talked about political tensions between Republicans and Democrats and the budgetary issues posed by the end of the Bush-era tax cuts.
Ritz was put in contact with Van Hollen’s scheduler after the congressman’s office invited members of AU Dems to be part of Van Hollen’s entourage during the Thanksgiving Day parade.
Van Hollen served on the Congressional Joint Selection Committee on Deficit Reduction, or the Super-Committee.
“The Not-So-Super Committee,” as Van Hollen called it, did not achieve a compromise.
“I actually fought for them; I fought for a good amount of that time that we actually could get a compromise,” Van Hollen said. “I wasn’t waking up and thinking about going through the motions. I remember thinking let’s try and find a way to get this done and work with my colleagues.”
Given Van Hollen’s position, the meeting was an opportunity for the FPC to learn about “what happened in those close-door meetings,” Ritz said.
Philip Scranage, press secretary for AU Dems, was interested in meeting Van Hollen to learn about addressing disagreements, calling Van Hollen a “real compromiser.”
“He is intent on finding compromises with Republicans and Democrats, to move policy forward,” Scranage said.
The absence of cooperation was part of the reason Super-Committee failed, Van Hollen said.
“He had a lot to say about … the strategies that we can use when you’re talking about issues of fiscal policy,” Scranage said.
Scranage said the congressman treated the Dems as constituents. Van Hollen extended their meeting for 15 minutes longer than scheduled, addressing all questions the students had.
While the Dems that attended the meeting appreciated the opportunity to meet Van Hollen, Ritz recognized that such opportunities may not come for a while because of a busy campaign season.
“It would probably have to happen after the election,” Ritz said.
AU Dems has organized other opportunities for its members to meet with staff members on Capitol Hill, but this is the first time an AU Dems’ caucus is meeting with a congressman.
“We think that actually speaking directly to the representatives about our interests regarding fiscal policy is a lot more productive than other means, like protests,” said Zack Carroll, a freshman in the School of International Service who attended the meeting.
