Hundreds showed out on Friday expressing concerns about immigration, education and tariffs at Congressman Ro Khanna's town hall in San Jose.
Khanna said people need to speak up about the impacts of some of President Donald Trump's policies.
"In this country, the citizens rule," he said.
Constituents asked questions of the congressman and wanted to know what he could do to fight back against the president's policies.
"I say im going to speak out strongly, and I have been," Khanna said. "I went to three town halls in California in red districts, I'm going to Cleveland to talk about how irrational these tariffs are and calling out JD Vance in his home state.β
Friday's meeting came among a wave of decisions from the Trump Administration that are already affecting families in the Bay Area.
βI lost my job as part of a riff last week as a direct consequence of the cancellation of contracts and grants from the federal government, and I will have worked there for 30 years," said Jennifer Anthony, who attended the town hall.
Employees with Head Start also aid they could potentially be laid off because grant applications remain in limbo.
"I certainly will do everything I can to see that grant comes through," Khanna said. "It's on my radar. We've been in touch with the Santa Clara office.β
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Immigration and student visas were a large topic discussed at the town hall.
"I am for due process in this country and our office will stand up for that and i will stand up for that," Khanna said.