Congresswoman Celeste Maloy Discusses Town Halls, Political Climate

Congresswoman Celeste Maloy, who represents Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, recently spoke with us on the radio about her experiences in Washington, the importance of town halls, and the political landscape.

Despite the often-contentious nature of national politics, Maloy noted that many of her colleagues in Congress are dedicated public servants. “One of the biggest, best surprises about being in Congress is that you meet these people that you think, yeah, I can see why their constituents want them to represent them,” she said during the interview. She shared an example of Representative Pete Stauber from Minnesota, a former professional hockey player and police officer, whom she described as “a really good, kind human being.”

Maloy also discussed her upcoming town hall in Salt Lake County, acknowledging that it could be contentious. “I'm expecting it to be a little fiery,” she said. “Expecting a lot of people to not be there to thank me for my service.” However, she emphasized the importance of transparency and public engagement, even with those who may strongly disagree with her.

She recalled her frustrations during the Obama administration when decisions impacting Utah were made without local input. “They never showed up here to hear how we felt about it,” she explained. “I know there will be a lot of people there tomorrow night who dislike President Trump, who dislike me… but I think it’s important to hear from them because I do represent them.”

Acknowledging the increasing polarization in politics, Maloy expressed empathy for those struggling with policy changes. “Every dollar that goes out of the U.S. Treasury has been going to somebody,” she said. “And every time one of those streams dries up, there’s somebody at the other end of the stream who suddenly has got to come up with a new plan.”

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Maloy remains committed to engaging with constituents, even when tensions run high. “If I need to stand in Salt Lake and let somebody yell at me for drying up their stream, I can do that,” she said.

You can hear our full discussion with Congresswoman Maloy in the podcast below.