Despite protesters shutting down his office last week - and then having several events disrupted on Saturday - Congressman Tom Reed says he will stay the course.
Reed says, last Thursday was "reinforcement for why" he does his job. He says, he started the day, in the Oval Office with a small group of his colleagues, meeting with President Trump. Having a relationship with the White House, Reed says, is "exciting and provides a great opportunity."
"Especially on the interests of people here in Western New York of the 23rd Congressional District. And I can assure you, when it comes to things like tax reform, when it comes to things like U.S. manufacturing, we're going to make sure that rebirth of U.S. manufacturing occurs, hopefully right here in our backyard," Reed said.
Thursday ended with a late night meeting between Reed and the protesters who were on day three of a sit-in at his Ithaca office. He says after they talked, and found common ground, the protesters went home. And he says he's not discouraged that we was shouted down by more protesters at four Town Hall meetings Saturday.
"Actually it's reinvigorated me. We have reaffirmed in my mind and to the team that this is the right way to represent the district. You need to get out there. You need to see the faces. The front-line impact of policies coming out of Washington D.C," Reed said.
And his wish will likely come true. As a member of the House subcommittee on Health, Reed says, over the short-term they'll be working on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act - also known as Obamacare.
"I think, for the long-term, it will position us very well to be a voice for reforms and solutions to get this healthcare cost question under control. As well as further additional insurance reforms to bring competitive pressure into that environment," Reed said.
The Corning Republican expects Congress to take up the ACA "sometime in March."