U.S. Rep. Martha McSally spent nearly an hour in Vail on Wednesday talking to Cienega High School students, mostly seniors about to graduate.
The two-term Republican, who represents Congressional District 2, spent most of the time answering questions from students ranging from whatβs next regarding Syria to explaining why she doesnβt wear a Fitbit.
But McSally repeatedly found herself trying to differentiate herself from President Trump and legislation backed by the Republican-controlled Congress.
Here are three takeaways of McSallyβs positions from the high school town hall:
Transgender bathrooms
are state, local issue
After being told transgendered students use a bathroom in the nurseβs office at the high school, McSally advised students to discuss the issue with school administration and state representatives.
βDid you engage the chain of command,β the retired Air Force colonel asked the student who posed the question. βRegardless of who you are and who you love, you should be given every opportunity in this country.β
She said she has fought for LGBTQ issues at the federal level, but said this fight was best decided locally, not by Congress.
Trump administration
was βtestedβ by Assad
When a Cienega senior asked McSally about the missile strikes in Syria and told her he was entering the Air Force after graduation, McSally said she supported Trumpβs decision to hit Syria. She said the Tomahawk missiles fired by the United States did not cripple the Syrian regime but told the students it sent a βmessageβ to Syria President Bashar al-Assad.
McSally said Assadβs decision to use chemical weapons against the civilian population was a test of the new administration and that the whole world was watching how Trump would respond.
βPrivacy houndβ McSally
wonβt use a Fitbit
McSally faulted media reports about Congress allowing internet service providers to the sell the browsing histories of their users, saying the recent rollback of FCC privacy rules isnβt the real issue.
She argues Congress needs to move forward on a commonsense approach that tells users in a simple fashion what information their internet providers, social-media sites and various devices are gathering and what those companies are making available to third parties.
McSally said she shuns so-called βfreeβ services that collect private information about users, even going so far as to leave a small fitness device that tracks her activities β from steps to calories burned β at home. The device was given to her as a gift, she told the crowd.
