A non-partisan Columbia group that pushes liberal policies on health care, taxes and human rights cried foul Monday on U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, for refusing to allow a reporter to attend a meeting set for Tuesday.

CoMo for Progress had agreed to limit the meeting, scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday, to 12 members and to filter all the questions through a moderator, member Kate Canterbury said. The group also agreed to provide the names of the people who would attend to Hartzler’s office and a list of topics to be discussed, Canterbury said.

The only non-negotiable point was that at least one news reporter also be allowed in the meeting, she said.

“It could only benefit Rep. Hartzler because it would show she is willing to meet and discuss with all of the people in her district, not just the 60 percent who voted for her,” Canterbury said.

Hartzler refused the request for a reporter because she doesn’t generally conduct meetings with constituents in front of the press, Hartzler spokesman Steve Walsh said. The decision not to allow a reporter was made Friday, he said.

Como for Progress canceled the meeting, Walsh said.

“You shouldn’t need a media presence if you sincerely want to express your views to the congresswoman,” Walsh said.

CoMo for Progress had a meeting with Hartzler in May. By being willing to meet with the group again, Walsh said, Hartzler is showing she isn’t afraid to listen to groups she disagrees with.

“I think it is pretty obvious, for CoMo for Progress, where they stand and that they disagree with the congresswoman on a lot of issues,” Walsh said.

The group initially wanted Hartzler to hold a live town hall meeting, Canterbury said. When Hartzler declined the town hall, Canterbury said, the group suggested a meeting with up to 30 members moderated by the League of Women Voters. That was also rejected, she said.

Finally, she said, the meeting was set for Hartzler’s Columbia office.

“Yesterday morning we received an email that said one, the press would no longer be allowed, and two, the location was changed to the chamber of commerce,” Canterbury said.

The meeting was moved because there is not a room large enough in Hartzler’s office for 12 people to meet with staff, Walsh said.

The meeting was set for Tuesday because Congress is on its regular August recess. Hartzler will be in Columbia on Tuesday to ride with a UPS driver to observe deliveries.

This year, Hartzler has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a plan that the Congressional Budget Office estimates would result in 23 million people losing health insurance coverage. She was also the sponsor of an unsuccessful amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have barred the military from paying for gender reassignment treatments for transgender members of the military.

That was followed by a tweet from President Donald Trump that he would order the Defense Department to ban transgender individuals from service. The Defense Department hasn’t changed its policies yet but up to 6,000 men and women in uniform could be dismissed from duty.

“That is definitely something we intended to discuss,” Canterbury said. “A member of our organization is an outspoken advocate for transgender rights and a mother.”

rkeller@columbiatribune.com

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