On Saturday, August 23, 2025, the North-Central Idaho Democratic Coalition* sponsored a “Forum With Our Members of Congress”.  The event was designed to provide an opportunity for Senators Crapo and Risch, along with Congressman Fulcher, to hear from, and respond to, concerns of their constituents in the area in an environment with well-defined rules for civility and respect for all points of view.  

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the three representatives declined to appear.  Nor did they send any prepared statements to be read to the attendees.  The organizers had anticipated this and had said that the event would take place regardless, that it would be videotaped, and the video would be sent to the representatives.  

The Forum was held at the Williams Conference Center on the campus of Lewis Clark State College in Lewiston.  Over 75 people attended the two hour event.

At the front of the auditorium, three chairs were set on the dais next to the podium.  In each chair was a large photograph of one of the absent legislators.  

Kathy Dawes, one of the organizers of the event and Mark Havens from Interlink, a non-profit providing services to the elderly, served as co-moderators for the Forum.  

The Braver Angels approach

The forum was planned and conducted in accordance with guidelines from Braver Angels, a non-partisan volunteer organization that embraces respect, honesty, and responsible citizenship. They encourage this by teaching respectful communication skills through free workshops, one of which was conducted in the morning before the Forum. The driving force that fuels their mission is “Bringing Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.”

At the beginning of the forum, Kathy, a trained Braver Angels moderator, reminded the attendees of the Braver Angels guidelines:

• The meeting is designed to support learning together
• Everyone should speak from an “I” point of view
• All discussion should be civil and respectful

Issues raised by nonprofit groups

During the first hour, representatives from several non-profit groups in the region gave short presentations about their work and the challenges they face.  Each ended with some specific questions for the Senators and Congressman.  

Citizens’ Climate Lobby of the Palouse  https://cclpalouse.org/ 

Leonard Garrison spoke on behalf of the group, highlighting the need for bipartisan solutions to climate change.  He mentioned several specific asks, including rejecting budget cuts for NOAA, NASA, and the Department of Energy; ensuring that the National Weather Service is adequately staffed; rejecting a proposal by Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa to cancel conversion of US Postal Service trucks to electric power (he noted that the old trucks only get 9 miles per gallon); and reforming the process for clean energy permitting to enable more transmission lines to be built more quickly.

YWCA of the LC Valley  https://ywcaidaho.org/

Victoria Scalise spoke for the YWCA, providing an overview of the services they offer as the only YWCA in Idaho.  These include support for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault; crisis counseling; and providing shelter for survivors and their children.  Victoria said that the YWCA receives funding through the Department of Housing and Human Services and other government programs, but that funding is not keeping pace with increased demand.

Sojourners’ Alliance  https://www.sojournersalliance.org/

Casey Bolt spoke for this organization that provides direct support for people facing homelessness in Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis, and Nez Perce Counties.  They operate short-term transitional housing (self-funded), a hotline for people experiencing a housing crisis or domestic violence (federally funded), and a permanent supportive housing solution under the Housing First approach.  Federal funding for the Housing First initiative is critical, Casey said, but uncertain and President Trump has been critical of the approach.  Casey asked the Senators and Congressman to provide more certainty and clarity on the policies and funding that his organization depends on.

Interlink  https://interlinkvolunteers.org

Interlink director Mark Havens described the organization’s mission as providing services to enable elders and those with disabilities to live independently in their own homes.  These services are provided by volunteers, at no cost to the recipients, and include installing wheelchair ramps and grab bars as well as providing transportation for those no longer able to drive.  He noted that Lewiston has the highest percentage of older people in the Pacific Northwest. He said that transportation funding in Idaho has been cut by ⅓ and other senior services may be cut later this year.  His message to the Senators and Congressman was this:  Investment in senior citizen services benefits the entire community.  It pays for itself.  It’s not charity.

Idaho School Boards Association  https://www.idsba.org/

Kathy Dawes read a letter sent by the IDSBA to Senators Crapo and Risch and Congressmen Fulcher and Mike Simpson.  The letter raised concerns about changes and cuts to federal funds for the Idaho Department of Education, the diversion of funds in federal school voucher programs, and reduced funding for students with disabilities – all areas where service demands are growing.

Braver Angels  https://braverangels.org/

Kathy Dawes then spoke directly to the Senators and Congressman about the “Braver Politics” program developed by Braver Angels to rebuild our political system.  She asked our representatives to work personally to reduce the rancor in politics, to call out others who use divisive language, to call on Braver Angels leaders to facilitate workshops for Senators’ and Congressional staffs, and to read reports from Braver Angels about trustworthy elections and an upcoming report on immigration.

Questions from the audience

During the second hour of the Forum, individual members of the audience rose to speak to the photos on the dais, raising a variety of topics and asking tough questions.  The concerns raised included:

• Two people asked about administration impacts on our national museum system. One questioned the denial and erasure of history through changes at the Smithsonian museums.  Another suggested that our representatives should visit the Smithsonian and determine what, if anything, they find objectionable.
  
  
• Protecting our First Amendment rights. 
  
  
• The negative impacts of tariffs on markets for Idaho agricultural products and family farms.  ICE raids creating chaos when crops need to be picked.
  
  
• Sensible changes to how immigrants are being treated.  Specific requests for better government oversight of ICE, investigations into conditions at detention centers, and ensuring everyone has a right to a trial.  
  
  
• A request that our representatives stop Donald Trump from invoking martial law and sending troops into American cities.  
  
  
• Increased housing costs – rising rents for apartments and trailer park spots, impacts on disabled individuals and families.  
  
  
• Questions about what we as a country stand for.  Specific concerns about Trump “selling Ukraine down the river” and continued military aid to Israel without providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians.  
  

• The need to ensure adequate funding and staffing to protect our national parks.
  

The tone of the questions was as varied as the people who asked them.  Many questions were carefully phrased and delivered in even tones.  Other questions reflected the frustration and even desperation of the individuals, with several people literally begging the representatives to take action on issues like rent increases.

And while most of the questions were asked in very respectful ways, as the organizers had intended, a few questions were very pointed, including

• An individual who raised issues with multiple administration actions – putting the National Guard in Washington, DC, firing the director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, investigating John Bolton, illegally transferring Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum security prison, advocating gerrymandering in Texas.  She said “You’re turning a blind eye to these actions, normalizing them.  What has to happen for you to stand up to this administration and stop these undemocratic actions?”
  
• Another person was even more direct, asking “Are you three merely cowardly Republicans afraid of Trump’s retribution or are you supporting his lunatic and fascist takeover of our country?”

Great turnout…except for the missing 3

Despite not having the Senators and Congressman present, the mood in the room during the event was positive.  People were engaged and attentive to the presentations and often applauded the questions being asked.  

The entire event was videotaped. The tape is now being edited and will be sent to Senators Crapo and Risch and Congressman Fulcher, with requests for their responses. The video will also be published on the Coalition’s YouTube channel. (We will publish an update when it is available.) A short video of snippets from the second hour is included below.

After the event, co-organizer Kathy Dawes summed up the experience:

“We were all very disappointed that our members of Congress did not attend, and that they did not even provide a statement that we requested to be able to read at the event. To not even acknowledge their constituents’ request for a statement is very difficult for me to understand. If they watch the video we send them, they will see the respectful demeanor of the crowd and the wide variety of sincere questions and comments made that really deserve a thoughtful response.“

Perhaps the only disrespectful aspect of the event was the behavior of our elected representatives.

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* The North-Central Idaho Democratic Coalition is a collaboration of Democrats from Lewis, Idaho, Clearwater, Latah, and Nez Perce Counties sharing resources funded by an Innovation Grant from the Idaho Democratic Party.

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