To the editor:, Over the past several months, despite his victory in the November election, our congressman Leonard Lance has constantly been under fire due to the results of the national election. In the weeks after Donald Trump took office, Lance had to face protesters at his office on a nearly constant basis, protesting issues that he couldn’t even deal with at the time. Many of the protests focused on the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, which Lance had been a proponent of throughout the electoral process. The real irony was that, as people were protesting Lance’s position on the ACA, the replacement hadn’t even been fully drafted yet!, However, showing his devotion to his constituents, in late February, during the President’s Recess, when all other Republican congressmen in New Jersey refused to hold in-person town halls in their districts, Lance did so, holding multiple town hall sessions. While there, he got lambasted for much of the President’s policy, over which he has no control. While talking about healthcare, he did gain some praise for supporting keeping parts of the ACA, most importantly the pre-existing conditions clause, banning lifetime caps on coverage and allowing kids to stay on their parents’ coverage until they turn 26. However, it was clear that many of the people at the town hall there were protesting the larger issues over the decisions our President has made and had unrealistic expectations for our congressman to somehow fix them. Still, Leonard Lance showed his courage and showed up to these town halls, doing his best to talk to his constituents and deal with their concerns while never becoming cross with them, despite numerous interruptions. By showing his commitment to reach his constituents when many of his New Jersey colleagues were too afraid to do so, Leonard Lance showed his courage and dedication to the people he serves., Then, a month later, in March, Lance was somewhat vindicated when the proposed version of the AHCA was released in full form. Once he read the bill, which would have taken health care away from 24 million Americans, he publicly announced that he would vote against it because it didn’t make healthcare more affordable or accessible for the people of New Jersey and his district. Lance was one of just 25-30 Republican representatives in the house (out of 247) who had the courage to go against their own party and president by refusing to vote for a bill that would have a negative effect on his people, showing that he has not lost his values or his concern for those he serves. Hopefully, those unhappy with him in New Jersey’s 7th District will come to realize that Leonard Lance is not the one responsible for the problems they protest; rather, the very opposite is true., By promising to vote against the wishes of his own party, Leonard Lance has shown his principles and courage to do what he believes is right, even in trying political times., Tyler Baum, Hillsborough
