Rep. Adam Smith Meets with Local Leaders on Business, Healthcare, Education, Conservation, and Blood Donation Across WA-09
SEATTLE, WA. – Congressman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) spent the week of August 11 engaging with small business owners, healthcare providers, union leaders, conservation experts, and blood service professionals to discuss local priorities and the impacts of federal policy on their work.
On August 11, Smith joined the Washington Hospitality Association for a roundtable at Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria in Columbia City. Owners, managers, and hospitality leaders discussed the rising cost of doing business, workforce development needs, tariffs, and the Credit Card Competition Act.
The hospitality industry has faced mounting pressures in recent months, with U.S. hotel occupancy dropping by 2.3 percentage points in March compared to last year and international travel to the U.S. falling 3.1% in July— declines tied to tariffs and other Trump administration policies that have increased the average U.S. tariff rate from 2.5% to nearly 27%, the highest since the Great Depression era. In addition, the Seattle area specifically has seen a 30% decline in Canadian tourism.
On August 12, Smith hosted his regular Community Health Centers (CHC) Roundtable at HealthPoint Auburn North with leaders from HealthPoint, Neighborcare, International Community Health Services, and Sea Mar.
Participants discussed the threat posed by the Trump administration’s proposal to cut over $1.2 trillion from Medicaid and SNAP over ten years, which could leave 10.9 million Americans uninsured and reduce SNAP participation by 3 million. Such cuts would severely undermine the work of CHCs, which serve tens of thousands of patients in Washington’s Ninth District.
Later the same day, Smith met with representatives from education unions—including SEIU 925, SEIU 1948 PSE, WEA, AAUP, WFSE/AFSCME, and AFT—at AFT Washington’s Renton office to discuss teacher recruitment and retention, the rising cost of living, and defending collective bargaining rights.
These conversations take place against the backdrop of broader economic inequality, with analysis showing that the bottom 10% of earners stand to lose $1,600 annually under Trump-backed budget cuts, while the wealthiest Americans benefit from large tax breaks.
On August 13, Smith toured the Issaquah Creek Ecological Restoration Project at Lake Sammamish State Park with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. The project aims to restore salmon habitat, stabilize stream banks, and improve ecological resilience in the watershed.
Conservation leaders stressed the importance of sustained federal investment in environmental restoration given that earlier this year the Trump administration and the EPA had frozen federal funding for this project. I am glad to see this funding unfrozen since this work will preserve our public lands for years to come.
On August 14, Smith visited Bloodworks Northwest’s Renton facility for a tour and policy discussion with organizational leaders. They provide blood supply to 95% of hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to blood collection, testing, and distribution, Bloodworks Northwest leads an innovative research institute and provides lab expertise to support patients receiving critical treatments for cancer and organ transplantation.
He also met with leaders of the Washington State Labor Council on Thursday at his Kent office to talk about the Trump Administration's plans to cut Medicaid and its proposed pilot project in WA state to use A.I. for Medicaid preauthorization.
“Strong communities require strong federal support,” said Smith. “Whether it’s fair economic policies for small businesses, protecting access to healthcare, safeguarding workers’ rights, restoring our natural environment, or strengthening emergency medical readiness, federal action matters. I will keep fighting for policies that invest in people and reject the shortsighted cuts and harmful trade policies that undermine our district’s economic, health, and environmental future.”
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