'Extremist and Sloppy': GOP Congressman Hectored at Town Hall Over Trump Cuts
"What's not reasonable is taking this chainsaw approach," said one attendee speaking of federal cuts.
Rep. Rich McCormick, a Republican representing Georgia, faced a tough crowd during a town hall Thursday, during which constituents questioned him sharply about his support for U.S. President Donald Trump agenda during his first month back in office.
McCormick faced boos and catcalls, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, including when answering questions about the administration's targeting of federal workers.
In reference to personnel cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and elsewhere, one speaker asked why the approach has been so "radical and extremist and sloppy."
McCormick responded that he's been in "close contact" with the CDC and—speaking of the over 1,000 probationary employees targeted for removal by the Trump administration—"a lot of the work they do is duplicitous with AI," a remark that prompted an audible negative reaction from the crowd.
Another person said that trying to do more with less was a reasonable goal, but "what's not reasonable is taking this chainsaw approach."
"My understanding is when you say you have this many employees that you have to cut, that organization decides who to cut,” McCormick said.
In the past month, the Trump administration, with the help of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, has moved to carry out personnel cuts at various agencies—impacting workers who do everything from conduct independent audits of federal agencies to assisting with processing Americans' tax returns. Many of the administration's measures have been challenged in court, with mixed success for the plaintiffs.
Separately, constituents in Republican districts in other parts of the country targeted GOP lawmakers over the Trump administration's cuts and other issues this week.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein wrote that the town hall, which took place in Roswell, was so well attended that local authorities turned away some would be town hall goers.
"The rowdy town hall was one of the first examples in Georgia of Trump-driven backlash trickling down to the grassroots," wrote Bluestein in his write-up of the town hall. Bluestein also posted multiple times on X about the event, and some observers on the social media platform, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said Bluestein's posts were not viewable to them.
The town hall crowd peppers Rep. Rich McCormick with boos and catcalls as he struggles to answer a pointed question from a resident who says she's a descendant of Patrick Henry who pressed him on whether Trump was moving toward "tyranny." #gapol https://t.co/gicXVC7AFJ pic.twitter.com/BkSIaxtgQb
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) February 21, 2025
"X appears to be censoring Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter [Greg Bluestein's] posts covering Rep. Rich McCormick's (R-Ga.) town hall. The now 'unavailable' posts, which per Bluestein were not deleted, showed McCormick being booed after he defended DOGE," posted Aaron Fritschner, a deputy chief of staff for Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.).
Fritschner included screenshots of the posts showing up as "unavailable." Some of Bluestein's posts also appeared that way for Common Dreams.
Only a month into the Trump administration's efforts to radically reshape the federal government, how the public views these efforts—especially those who voted for Trump and other GOP lawmakers—is still coming into focus.
According to the findings of a Quinnipiac poll released on Wednesday, 45% of voters approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, while 49% disapprove. Ninety percent of Republican voters said they approve. Meanwhile, 38% of voters had a favorable view of Elon Musk, and 50% had an unfavorable view. Seventy-five percent of Republican voters had a favorable view of him.
When it comes to impact, the advocacy organization Americans for Tax Fairness released an analysis on Thursday suggesting that proposed cuts by Republicans could lead to electoral pain for the GOP.
According to the group, a "dozen Republican House members won their seats by margins smaller than the number of constituents who could be affected by proposed cuts to federal jobs, Medicaid, and food assistance."
