The bitter cold weather did not stop residents from filling the room in Poestenkill to meet with Congressman Antonio Delgado on his first town hall since taking office back on January 3rd.

 

 

A different start to his term than the newly elected representative was expecting, as he took office under the partial government shutdown.

The congressman says he's outraged over the amount of families and workers who are unpaid because of it. The shutdown is now extending about a month long. The congressman says he's not making anything else a priority. 

"I don't even like talking about the priorities, because I met with way too many federal workers, individuals who are being impacted right now, who don't want to hear about that. They want to hear, 'when are you actually going to open up this government"

He says it's important everyone in D.C. can come together, despite parties, to figure out a common ground and solution. 

He says he doesn't fully agree with the conditions that President Trump made in his most recent proposal for his border wall. In it he was offering to Democrats an extension for DACA, the protected status of young people who were brought to this country illegally, as children.

 However, he say's it's now the Democrat's time to counter that offer.

"We have to figure out smart ways to protect the border. A wall, as experts have stated time and time again, is ineffective and wasteful. We're talking about 2000 miles of border. We have no real operational capacity to view that border all at one time. The wall does not help us do that." 

Congressman Delgado says the turn out proves how many people are engaged in the community, especially during this shutdown. 

Delgado will be returning to Washington D.C. on Tuesday.