BEDFORD, Va. – Republican Congressmen Denver Riggleman and Ben Cline hosted a joint town hall in Bedford Wednesday night.
Political talk is dominated right now by news of possible impeachment of President Donald Trump, but people in attendance were more concerned about hometown issues than the President's politics.
A crowd of more than 100 people filled the room at Central Virginia Community College in Bedford Wednesday for the event. Cline of the 6th District and Riggleman of the 5th District split the county. The two primarily focused on local topics.
"Voters in this area are not as concerned about impeachment as they are concerned about, infrastructure, drugs and crime and immigration," Cline said.
But the question of impeachment did come up very early. As questions continue about President Donald Trump's actions with foreign governments, both Republicans said they continue to back the President.
"Those screaming for transparency are the least transparent. My whole life has been in the intel business so what I'd like to know is why did it take so long to report? What are we looking at as far as the Volker transcript?" Riggleman said.
"I think it's a political response to a political drive to find a reason to impeach this president. They've been trying ever since he was sworn into office three years ago," Cline said.
The room was full of President Trump supporters, some wearing signature red hats and shirts supporting him, and after a quick question about Ukraine and Turkey, the topics quickly reverted to local politics. On the topic of climate change, Cline said he believes it's not an all or nothing decision.
"I think the science is still undetermined as to how great of an impact humans ... how much of an impact humans have on the environment," Cline said.
And Riggleman shared stories about his time at the border, telling the crowd about his time on the front lines of the drug trade. He said intelligence briefings lead him to believe cartels are operating in Southside Virginia.
"The Sinaloa Cartel is active here, specifically with meth. We've had some pretty bad items happening here, or some pretty bad things happening here when it comes to drug addiction, overdoses and things of that nature," Riggleman said.
Both men return to Washington, D.C. next week when the house reconvenes on Tuesday.
Â