The Salem News: Moulton Reflects on First Term
January 1st, 2017
By: Ethan Forman
SALEM — Soon-to-be sophomore Sixth District Congressman Seth Moulton, D-Salem, is not a person who likes to sit still for too long.
That’s not only because he has a standing desk in his Washington, D.C. office.
It is, he says, because he and his staff are working hard to represent the district no matter what political party his constituents belong to, even if they don’t belong to a party or did not vote.
In fact, his office says it has closed more than 1,850 constituent cases in the past two years and worked with more than 60 federal agencies, state and local partners and other organizations. People will come to his office with issues such as someone not receiving a Social Security check. Moulton said his office has recovered more than $700,000 for constituents through case work.
“It’s been incredibly busy,” Moulton said of his first term, “but that is the way it should be. My job is to be a public servant for the district and I take this job seriously.”
Come Tuesday, Moulton will be a freshman no more.
After winning his second term uncontested this past fall, Moulton will be sworn into the 115th Congress on Jan. 3.
In his first term, the Harvard-educated Marblehead native and Marine Corps infantry officer veteran who served four tours of duty in Iraq kept up a frenetic pace. He served on the Armed Services Committee, the Budget Committee and the Small Business Committee in the House.
He got out in front on veterans issues, pushed for legislation to ensure that terrorists are not allowed to buy guns, and worked to protect the local fishing industry. A recent Economic Development Federal Resource Forum in Peabody City Hall drew a packed audience.
On economic development, Moulton said progress is being made in Lynn through the work of Economic Development Director Jason Denoncourt. That city will receive a $4.5 million grant to purchase a new ferry, though there are still questions about the state not picking up the operating costs. Moulton said his office helped secure a $150 million contract for General Electric in Lynn to lead the design of a new turbine engine. Developing that relationship with GE took a lot of work and time, he said.
Moulton also spoke about a $1.4 million federal grant for business incubator and life sciences space in a new building at Endicott College, in partnership with North Shore InnoVentures.
A Salem resident, Moulton challenged and beat former Congressman John Tierney in a primary race in 2014, then won against Republican Richard Tisei in the general election that year. He ran unopposed during this past election season.
More than any bills or headlines, Moulton said it is the work he and his office does with constituents that is important to him.
“It doesn’t make headlines, but it’s incredibly important to the people of Massachusetts,” he said.
Moulton also acknowledged that he will be part of the Democrat minority in Washington that has no control over the House, Senate or the White House, with Republican President-elect Donald J. Trump set to be inaugurated on Jan. 20.
“The people of this district elected me to represent them and also to fight for them and I am not going to let Trump walk all over us,” said Moulton, who added that he will work wherever he can with the Trump administration on issues that benefit the people of his district.
Out and about
In fact, one of Moulton’s accomplishments was holding 39 town hall meetings in his two years in Congress — one in each of the 39 cities and towns of the Sixth District. It’s more town hall meetings than any Democrat in the House or the Senate, his office says.
During his short time in Congress, Moulton made three trips to the Middle East, to both visit with troops and understand the fights against ISIS. He has been outspoken on the need to have a plan to win the peace in Iraq and the Middle East, and even spoke with President Barack Obama on the issue.
And he managed to get three bills passed by the House, a feat for a first-term Democratic congressman.
One of the bills, the Faster Care for Vets Act, was signed into law by Obama on Dec. 16. The bill, which was also introduced by Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, and Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, requires Veterans Affairs to pilot a self-scheduling app for patients, given the difficulty of veterans to navigate the system now, having to wait weeks or months for an appointment.
Moulton has eschewed congressional health care to get his care through the VA system.
“I’m a veteran and we have got to fix this, and how am I going to fix this if I don’t know what is going on,” he said.
In helping veterans transition back to civilian life and to speak about their service, Moulton has held two National Veterans Day Town Halls, in which veterans share stories about their service on Veterans Day. The initiative has grown beyond Abbot Hall in Marblehead to include 13 similar events across the country.
The other two bills that passed the House include the Modernizing Government Travel Bill and the Microloan Modernization Act.
Moulton also touts the passage of the Water Resource Development Act of 2016, which included his provision to allow dredging in the Essex River. This bill was signed into law last month. In all, Moulton has introduced 10 bills, nine of which have had bipartisan support.
Transparency
Moulton will start his second term on Tuesday by volunteering with staff and constituents at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., according to a statement from his office. That afternoon, he will host a public open house and reception in his Washington, D.C., office.
The congressman frequently takes to Twitter, a sign that, like the storefront windows of his new downtown Salem office at 21 Front St., shows he is transparent.
“Part of being transparent to me is being able to reach me on Twitter,” Moulton said.
The office also has a video screen called the “dashboard” which provides updates to those peering in his Salem office.
“The least I can do is be honest,” Moulton said. “I like it when people come up to me and say, ‘I don’t agree with you’ or ‘I don’t agree with your positions,’ but at least I feel you are being honest.”
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