‘Fun’ visit

“This is the fun part of the job.”

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Indiana) escaped what he called the seeming doom and gloom of Washington, D.C., Friday to visit and take questions from fellow Republicans at John Jay Center for Learning.

Topics covered by the senator, who visited Portland for more than an hour, included the next Congressional coronavirus relief package, rural broadband and what his party can do to perform better among young voters and Hispanic and Latino Americans.

“If (Republicans) don’t have a message that’s appealing to Hispanics and Latinos, we’re going to be on the curb for a good while,” Braun told the crowd made up mostly of local Republican politicians and officials.

After the meeting, he added that the party has to improve on issues he said it has been “slow” on, including health care reform and legislation addressing climate change.

In October, Braun introduced the Fair Care Act of 2020 alongside U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas). In a press release, Westerman’s office said the bill is an improvement on the act of the same name from 2019, with more bipartisan measures.

Among other proposals, the bill would expand protections for those with pre-existing conditions in Medicare Supplement Insurance plans (Medigap) but would eliminate the employer health insurance mandate. Just over 53% of all health insurance recipients in Indiana received health care coverage from their employer, according to a 2019 study from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Braun recognized broadband access as a big issue in rural America but said that’s an issue best left to state and local governments.

When asked what he wants to see in the next federal coronavirus relief package, Braun said he wants more relief directed toward businesses that were “disproportionately” impacted by the pandemic, including airports, restaurants and hotels, the latter of which he said have struggled to recover in urban areas more than rural ones.

“I want it to be focused on those parts of our economy that have not recovered to the point where they can get back on their own feet,” Braun said.

Braun said a new coronavirus relief bill is unlikely to happen prior to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20.

One that he said “might happen” prior to the new president taking office, however, is the Senate Republicans $500 billion stimulus proposal, much lower than what President Donald Trump said he wants or what has been proposed in a stimulus package passed by the U.S. House of Representatives months ago.

He also addressed the Trump administration’s pending litigation against states that voted for Biden, recognizing the slim possibility of the election result being overturned.

“Do I think that’s going to work out? Probably not. But I think you should be able to go until the certification deadlines …” Braun said, referring to the deadline of 538 electoral votes that ultimately decide the presidency being due Dec. 23.

He also addressed the future of the Republican party.

“The national scene down the road does not look good for (Republicans),” Braun said, recognizing that Georgia could elect two Democrat senators in a January special election, leading to an evenly split Senate.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would wield a tie-breaking vote in such a scenario, a constitutional right Vice President Mike Pence exercised 13 times, the most by any vice president since the late 19th century.

Once the new Senators are sworn into office Jan. 3, Braun will officially begin the third year of his term, which runs through 2024.

It was the third of four stops for Braun, who also visited Winchester earlier, he said.

He fielded questions from about a dozen representatives from Jay County Council, Commissioners and Chamber of Commerce, and Portland Mayor John Boggs.

Rusty Inman, executive director of John Jay Center for Learning, said Braun’s office asked him last week if he would be willing to host the Senator during his visit to Portland and requested the gathering be limited to 14.

Braun was scheduled to visit Jay County earlier this year but that event was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.