Train of 300 Budget Activists in Capital
A group of about 300 West Coast citizens arrived in the nation’s capital Tuesday, hoping to persuade Congress to spend more on domestic programs and less on the military.
The residents from California, Oregon and Washington are part of the “Citizens’ Train” that began a cross-country journey Saturday. They were greeted by several lawmakers from the Northwest.
Sen. Mark O. Hatfield (R-Ore.) told the group that lawmakers recently had been discussing the deployment of U.S. troops to Honduras but that “today they have been discussing you, an emergency deployment of citizens to Washington.”
A leaflet from the group calls on the President and Congress to establish a citizens’ budget “based on the ideals of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Further, we call upon the President and the Congress to address the critical issue of the unprecedented national deficit with a keen regard for the well-being of all Americans.”
The group planned to lobby Congress today and Thursday and to attend briefings and receptions.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
