‘Golden Rule’ activists confront Rep. Baumgartner’s staff: “People, not quotas”

‘Golden Rule’ activists confront Rep. Baumgartner’s staff: “People, not quotas”

News Story Cassy Benefield | FāVS News Reporter

Faith leaders met with Rep. Michael Baumgartner’s staff Tuesday morning, seeking to discuss his potential vote on the “One Big Beautiful Bill” before holding their third weekly vigil outside his Spokane office.

However, the bill passed the House and was signed into law by President Donald Trump before the meeting, so faith leaders instead asked his staff why he voted for it.

In a July 4th e-newsletter legislative update, which Baumgartner sends out weekly, he wrote to his constituents, “The bill puts America first by cutting taxes, securing our borders and restoring the integrity of our healthcare system. It protects families in Eastern Washington from the largest tax hike in history, while supporting our agents in stopping the deadly flow of fentanyl.”

Debbie Novak, a part of the FLLC, the Washington Coalition of Police Accountability and Spokane Community Against Racism attended the meeting and the vigil. She did not share Baumgartner’s optimism about the bill. Instead, she saw “securing our borders” as “a frenzy to meet quotas.” 

Meeting 3,000 immigrant detentions a day came up in the meeting with Baumgartner’s staff, Novak said. Instead of answering the question about why this is going on, she said they deflected the question by saying it was OK for this administration to do this because, “Biden had allowed 10,000 a day to come across the border.”

This was partly true, she said, as it was not a number for every day and the number count was not just for crossing the border illegally but included legal border crossing and interactions, which aren’t border crossings, at the border.

“One can easily see why and how persons that are here legally are being detained … and it is disgusting to treat human beings as a number in a quota race,” she said. “Trying to stay positive. It seemed they were very much on the defensive, and we were really treating them with kid gloves.”

“The meeting with Rep. Baumgartner’s staff today was a start, however, there is much work to be done and relationship building to be had,” Novak said.

Other issues brought up in the meeting included U.S. Immigrant and Customs offices next to playgrounds, his meaning behind “Medicaid shell games” from his July 4 weekly update, the exact definition of the Rural Health Transformation Fund, and how the government should be transparent and accountable.

FLLC said the staff will get back to them in two weeks with answers to their questions and with the answer whether or not Baumgartner will meet with them in person.

Dr. Pam Silverstein, a member of the Jewish community and part of FLLC, walked away from the meeting with a positive outlook for future appointments.

“The staff were responsive and receptive to our concerns. And pragmatic in their responses, giving us advice on how to streamline our concerns in a follow-up meeting with the Congressman,” Silverstein said.

Ven. Thubten Semkye, a Sravasti Abbey nun, walked away with joy that people were the focus of their meeting.

“I rejoiced that our small group kept its heart open, that the staff was responsive to our concerns and that we kept returning to the fact that we are talking about people suffering, not just numbers and the bottom line,” Semkye said.

FāVS News left three messages for Baumgartner’s staff by phone and email asking for a statement on the meeting and vigil and received no response.

Others in attendance included the Rev. Gen Heywood, pastor of Veradale United Church of Christ, the Rev. Emily Kuenker, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pastor (ELCA), the Rev. Liv Larson Andrews, director for evangelical mission at Northwest Intermountain Synod ELCA and Ven. Thubten Rinchen, a nun at Sravasti Abbey.

The faith leaders then held their Golden Rule Vigil outside the office, asking participants to wear mourning attire and distributing black ribbons and armbands.

“Our vigil is a time of lament and a call to a moral conscience. It is a time of being truthful about the pain and harm,” the FLLC announced in their July 7 email. 

The next Truthful Tuesday Gold Rule Vigil will also take place at Baumgartner’s office, 528 E. Spokane Falls Blvd #115, on July 15, from 12:10 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. This time they will explore “Living The Golden Rule without expecting something back from others.”