Video, Photos: Cardboard Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) Town Hall in Virginia Beach

Great stuff from Protect Our Care, Affordable Virginia and the SEIU Virginia State Council — along with “Cardboard Jen Kiggans,” of course.  And just remember, “Thanks to Rep. Kiggans’ votes to cut health care in order to fund tax giveaways for the ultra-wealthy, 100,000 Virginians have been priced out of their Affordable Care Act plans, 300,000 Virginians are at risk of losing Medicaid, and Southampton Memorial Hospital in the 2nd District has been identified as at immediate risk of closure.”  This November, let’s get her outta there!

Affordable Virginia, SEIU Virginia State Council and Protect Our Care Host Cardboard Jen Kiggans Town Hall in Virginia Beach

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — In case you missed it, Affordable Virginia and SEIU Virginia State Council on Aug. 27 joined Protect Our Care Virginia in hosting a town hall featuring a cardboard cut-out of Rep. Jen Kiggans at Smartmouth Brewing Co. in Virginia Beach.

Because Rep. Kiggans does not hold public, in-person town halls and did not respond to our invitation to attend this town hall, the event provided an opportunity for constituents to share their stories with Cardboard Jen Kiggans about how her votes have driven up their costs and ripped away their health care, and allowed constituents a forum to demand she vote to lower costs and protect our care.

Thanks to Rep. Kiggans’ votes to cut health care in order to fund tax giveaways for the ultra-wealthy, 100,000 Virginians have been priced out of their Affordable Care Act plans, 300,000 Virginians are at risk of losing Medicaid, and Southampton Memorial Hospital in the 2nd District has been identified as at immediate risk of closure.

Meanwhile, under policies passed by Congressional Republicans, hardworking families are paying $3,500 more per year for everyday essentials, including gas and groceries.

“People deserve to know what their representatives are doing in Washington, and how those decisions affect their lives. Our Congresswoman, Jen Kiggans, has not held a public, in-person town hall where constituents can come together and ask questions about her record. So tonight, we brought the town hall to her,” said Emily Yeatts, Executive Director of Affordable Virginia. “Tonight is about spreading awareness of Congresswoman Kiggans’ voting record, connecting those votes to what people here in Hampton Roads are experiencing – the cost of health care, groceries, energy, basic necessities. We are calling on Congresswoman Kiggans to lower these costs.”

“You hear everybody talk about that word affordability, but can you afford to be sick? Can you afford to have your medication rates go up? Can you afford to miss a day off work because you have a chronically ill child?” said Angel Pye of Norfolk, a member of the Home Care Chapter of SEIU Virginia 512. “Ella Baker said, ‘When you shine the light, people will be able to find their way.’ I ask each and every one of you in this room: when you walk out this door today, shine the light on what this person [Kiggans] is doing, and shine it for people that you may not normally talk to, people that you know don’t have access to being in these spaces, but they need to know and understand the information. Shine that light for them so that they can find their way.”

“Last summer I drove down to Virginia Beach to celebrate the Fourth of July, but it ended up being a really rough weekend because that was when Donald Trump signed the Big Ugly Law, which Jen Kiggans voted for,” said Katie Baker, Virginia state director of Protect Our Care. “But thanks to Protect Our Care’s ‘Sick of It!’ tour, I came back tonight with a clear sense of purpose: the people of this city and of the 2nd District deserve to know that they are losing their health care as a direct result of Jen Kiggans’ votes. And if the Congresswoman is not going to show up to be held accountable for driving up costs in order to fund tax cuts for billionaires, we’ll make sure that the cardboard version of her hears.”

The event was held under the banner of Protect Our Care’s “Sick of It!” campaign.

Other speakers at the event included Lindsay Sims of Main Street Alliance, Eddie Seay of Freedom Virginia, Steven Carpel of Urban League of Hampton Roads, Heidi Dragneff of Common Defense, Affordable Care Act storyteller Becky Roberts of Virginia Beach, Medicaid storyteller Lynn Davis of Virginia Beach, and SNAP storyteller Sabrina Davis of Chesapeake.

You can watch the full event with the testimony of all the speakers HERE.

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Protect Our Care is a nonprofit organization that is leading the fight for better health care at lower costs. Through “Sick of It! Fix Health Care Now,” Protect Our Care is bringing the voices of patients, families, caregivers, and providers directly to lawmakers through nationwide events, storytelling efforts, accountability actions, digital engagement, and a coast-to-coast bus tour this fall.