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town halls
'You Cut Our Healthcare!' GOP Lawmaker Drowned in Boos at Combative Town Hall
"We're not headed toward authoritarian fascist government, we are already there," declared one angry constituent.
Aug 12, 2025
A California Republican faced a group of angry voters during a town hall in the city of Chico on Monday as constituents pelted him with pointed questions about the recently passed GOP budget package, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump's trade and immigration policies.
As The Sacramento Bee reported, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) was met with boos right from the start of the meeting when he told the estimated crowd of 650 people that "I think we have a lot to be grateful for" during the first seven months of Trump's second term in office.
After he opened up the floor for questions, LaMalfa heard from several constituents who were furious at the policies being pushed by Trump and his administration.
"If you aren't here to announce your resignation, why aren't you here to apologize to the farmers... because of your support for the Trump tariffs?" asked one constituent, as seen in a video posted on social media.
LaMalfa then elicited more boos when he blew off the constituent's question and asked, "Do you want to actually talk about something productive?"
Holy sh*t!
Watch GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa get absolutely rocked in his town hall today.
Not only was he booed out of the building, but he also got very condescending with the audience.
This is an R+22 district!#CA01 pic.twitter.com/9Seb9cFcFC
— TrumpsTaxes (@trumpstaxes.com on bsky) (@TrumpsTaxes) August 11, 2025
LaMalfa also received a hostile reaction when he tried to tout the GOP's big budget law that cuts an estimated $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade.
At one point, the congressman began a sentence by saying, "The work done on the big bill was..." before he was immediately drowned out with boos.
During this part of the town hall, attendees could be heard shouting things such as" "You cut our healthcare!"; "Healthcare is a human right!"; and "We need a hospital!" When LaMalfa claimed that the cuts to Medicaid would improve services to the people who depend on it, he was met with shouts of, "Liar!"
GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa held a town hall — and was drowned out by an uproar of boos from constituents.
When he tried to bring up Medicaid a constituent shouted: "YOU CUT OUR HEALTH CARE" pic.twitter.com/9mIq1WJxgY
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) August 11, 2025
Another attendee accosted LaMalfa over his support for Trump's mass deportation operation that has led to severe disruptions at farms and construction sites across the country as immigrant workers stay away for fear of being caught up in federal workplace raids.
"My parents were Holocaust survivors," the man began. "I have known what an authoritarian fascist government looks like since I was seven years old... People being kidnapped without arrest warrants, without trial, without recourse by the president of the United States' [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] armies is clear evidence of how a fascist, authoritarian government works. We're not headed toward authoritarian fascist government, we are already there."
The constituent then asked LaMalfa if his name 20 years from now will "be mentioned in the same sentence as Goebbels, Mengele, and Trump?"
During an Aug. 11 town hall in Chico, a constituent compared U.S. immigration enforcement to fascist regimes and questioned whether Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s name would be linked with authoritarian figures.
CHICO TOWN HALL: https://t.co/wSlg4Msun5
READ MORE: https://t.co/myrIz3EoeI pic.twitter.com/yQccjQQckC
— KRCR News Channel 7 (@KRCR7) August 11, 2025
"I predict no," LaMalfa replied, which elicited groans from the crowd.
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AOC, Sanders Rallying 15,000 Arizonans—With Thousands More Watching Online—Makes Clear 'The Moment We're In'
"People are starting to put the pieces together, and ironically the most divisive forces in this country are actually starting to bring more of us together," said Ocasio-Cortez.
Mar 21, 2025
A stop on Sen. Bernie Sanders' nationwide town hall tour "Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here" in Tempe, Arizona that also featured Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on Thursday broke the record for the number of attendees at an event hosted by Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, in the state, according to his director of communications.
"This is a big deal," wrote communications director Anna Bahr on X of the gangbusters turnout.
"Just to be clear about the moment we're in: Bernie Sanders' biggest crowd in Phoenix previously was 11,300 in 2015 when he was running for president. Tonight, in a non-campaign year, when he is running for nothing, 15,000 Arizonans turned out," she wrote. Bahr also said that more than 123,000 people watched the livestream of the event online.
Footage of the event shows a completely packed event space at Arizona State University's Mullet Arena. At least a 1,000 people could not enter the arena because there was no room inside, according to the Arizona Mirror.
Sanders launched his "Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here" tour, which focuses on working-class districts that President Joe Biden won in 2020 but were won by a House Republican in 2024, in February, with the aim of talking to Americans about the "takeover of the national government by billionaires and large corporations, and the country's move toward authoritarianism."
In their remarks on Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders spoke about Republican efforts to target programs like Social Security and Medicaid and billionaire Elon Musk's influence over the GOP.
"The billionaires who are taking a wrecking ball to our country," said Ocasio-Cortez—alluding to Musk's efforts to slash federal spending and personnel with the Department of Government Efficiency, and other billionaires in U.S. President Trump's orbit—"derive their power from dividing working people apart."
"People are starting to put the pieces together, and ironically the most divisive forces in this country are actually starting to bring more of us together," said Ocasio-Cortez.
"Their disdain for working people," she continued, "is a shorthand for the right's entire political agenda and a certain kind of ugly politics in this country—and that is lying to and screwing over working at middle class Americans so that they can steal our healthcare, Social Security, and veterans benefits."
When Sanders took the stage, he said, "Trump and his billionaire friends have never, ever had it so good in the history of this country."
Sanders also argued that if a Republican voiced opposition to Republicans' plan to deliver tax cuts that will primarily benefit the wealthy, "Musk in five minutes would say, 'we are going to primary you'... That is not a democracy."
Musk—who donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Trump and other GOP candidates in 2024—has threatened to fund moderate candidates in heavily Democratic districts.
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'We Want You to Show Fight': Dems Get an Earful at Town Halls as Spending Bill Fallout Continues
A group of youth-led organizations released an open letter calling on Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York "to fight for our generation or step aside for someone who will."
Mar 20, 2025
The fallout from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's decision to back a GOP-backed spending bill continued this week as Democratic lawmakers faced angry constituents at town halls around the country and a group of youth-led organizations on Thursday released an open letter calling on Schumer "to fight for our generation or step aside for someone who will."
Last week, Schumer (D-N.Y.) caused a stir when he pivoted to support a Republican-led continuing resolution that cuts nondefense spending by $13 billion, among other objections from Democrats. The pivot—for which he was joined by nine other caucus members—drew sharp backlash, including from House Democrats, who had largely been united in opposing the measure when it cleared that chamber on March 11.
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), who held a town hall in a suburb outside of Washington, D.C. on Tuesday night, drew applause when he suggested that Schumer should step aside as minority leader. "I respect Chuck Schumer. I think he's had a great, long-standing career. He's done a lot of great things, but I'm afraid that it may be time for the Senate Democrats to pick new leadership as we move forward," Ivey said, per NBC News.
However, Ivey still faced some testy interactions with constituents about how Democrats will respond to President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, according to NBC News.
"We need to see 'hell no,' one person told Ivey. "And thank you for being polite with us, but when it comes to fighting these fights, we need you to be a little bit less polite, a little bit more hell no, instead of a little bit no."
"We want you to show fight, and you are not fighting," said another attendee, according to footage captured by CNN. "The message that was sent by Democrats in Congress with the [continuing resolution] catastrophe was clear. It's not that you're in the minority, it's that you aren't even working together on a shared strategy," the person said, prompting applause from the audience.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego held a town hall on Monday in order to talk to constituents about potential cuts to Medicaid—but multiple people at the town hall aired their concerns that Democrats do no have a plan to push back on Republicans who go after the program, according to the local outlet ABC15.
"We're trying to shield to ourselves before we're wounded and we don't know how," said one attendee, who shared that she has a daughter with special needs who relies on Medicaid, per ABC15 Arizona. "Would you mind telling your colleagues in Washington that when you're burning down this house, there are people still inside, my daughter is inside?"
Another person at the town hall in Arizona said he wants more action and less talk from Democrats, and that he would like to see Schumer step down from his role as minority leader.
In Oregon, per Politico, a town hall goer told Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Janelle Bynum on Sunday that he is "so pissed off right now at the leadership in the United States Senate that they are not willing to step up and fight."
GOP lawmakers, for their part, have also faced angry crowds at town halls, with constituents showing up to express concerns about Trump's efforts to slash federal programs and personnel.
The dissatisfaction with Democratic Senate leadership and pleas to do more were echoed in the open letter from youth-led groups.
In a statement on Thursday accompanying the letter, Sohali Vaddula, vice president of College Democrats of America, said that the groups "demand that Democrats stand up for their values and push back against Republican extremism—not enable it."
In addition to College Democrats of America, the open letter to Schumer was also sent from the groups Sunrise Movement, Gen Z Against Trump, United We Dream Action, and Voters of Tomorrow.
The groups urged Democrats to prove they are on their "side" by meeting with their communities and showing up to protests. They also want Democrats to "obstruct the MAGA agenda" in any way possible.
"Use every tool available—filibusters, procedural delays, and strategic disruptions. If Republicans want to destroy our future, make them feel the consequences of their actions," they urged.
"Democrats, this is your wake-up call," they wrote in conclusion. "If you refuse to fight for our future, we will find leaders who will. The choice is yours."
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GOP Lawmaker Drowned Out by 'Tax the Rich' Chant at Town Hall in Deep-Red Nebraska District
Voters were not impressed with Rep. Mike Flood's claim that massive cuts to public spending are needed to achieve a "balanced budget."
Mar 19, 2025
A small Nebraska city where U.S. President Donald Trump easily won the 2024 election was the site of the latest chaotic Republican town hall on Tuesday evening, with Rep. Mike Flood facing a roomful of about 200 voters, many of whom refused to accept his excuses for the Trump administration's drastic cuts to the federal government.
Flood came to the Columbus High School auditorium prepared with a graphic showing the national debt, with a giant screen showing the sum ticking up to $36 trillion—evidently confident that the number would help explain to voters why Republicans are pushing for hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid and Social Security while backing billionaire Elon Musk's massive cuts to the federal workforce.
But when he displayed the number and told one voter who asked about cuts to the National Institutes of Health that, "ultimately, where we need to go is to a balanced budget," he was met with loud booing.
"How can you be against a balanced budget?" Flood asked the room—which prompted the reply, "tax the rich!" to ring out across the auditorium.
Flood was meeting with voters in Nebraska's deep-red 2nd District for the first time since Trump took office. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) recently advised GOP lawmakers to avoid town halls and claimed protesters who have shown up to numerous meetings with Republican representatives are "Democrat activists who don't live in the district," but he and other critics have presented no evidence that the anger directed at Trump's allies in Congress is coming from anywhere but their constituents.
Flood also faced questions about Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with one attendee asking, "What makes Elon Musk a better person to audit our government for waste, fraud, and abuse than the inspectors general that Donald Trump fired?"
"Elon Musk gets $40 billion a year in funding from the federal government. What makes you think he has no conflict of interest?" asked the voter. "Do you think he would cut that before he would cut our Medicare, or our Social Security, or our jobs?"
Flood replied that he supports both Musk and DOGE, prompting more loud booing and thumbs-down gestures.
With Republican lawmakers facing angry voters, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in recent weeks has toured states including Iowa, Nebraska, and Michigan, speaking to large crowds in Republican districts. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is scheduled to join him this week, while Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has also been holding town halls.
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"It's Only 'Free Speech' If You Agree With Them," Says AOC of GOP-Only Town Hall
"The fact is, we work for everybody. If Republican politicians can't get that we work for the public, then the public should give them the boot," said the Democrat from New York.
Mar 19, 2025
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, had sharp words for Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona and two other Arizona elected officials, following reporting that the trio was scheduled to speak at a town hall on Tuesday evening—which only Republicans were allowed to attend.
"It's only 'free speech' if you agree with them. Everyone else gets stripped from their community's town hall," wrote Ocasio-Cortez on X in response to the reporting. "The fact is, we work for everybody. If Republican politicians can't get that we work for the public, then the public should give them the boot."
According to a flyer posted to the Legislative District 12 Republican Committee website, Biggs, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-12), and Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan were slated to speak at a town hall event in Chandler, Arizona on Tuesday evening.
Camaron Stevenson, chief political correspondent for the outlet The Copper Courier, posted a screenshot of the flyer on X on Tuesday, alongside a screenshot of an email from the First Vice Chair of the Arizona Legislative District 12 Republican Committee Patty Porter that reads: "Tonight's townhall is a private event. I have been reminded that only members of the Republican Party will be admitted into the venue."
According to The Phoenix New Times, Porter did not answer queries about why the event was being called a "townhall"—the spelling used by Porter and on the flyer—if it is private.
Neither Petersen nor Biggs responded to requests for comment, according to the outlet, though Biggs called Stevenson's social media post saying that he is "hosting" the town hall "false." He did not address the Republican-only nature of the event, per the New Times.
Stevenson on Tuesday shared a video of an Independent voter who said he registered for the town hall but was turned away after they reviewed his voting history.
This news out of Arizona follows multiple instances where GOP lawmakers have faced angry crowds at town halls, with constituents showing up to express concerns about President Donald Trump's efforts to slash federal programs and personnel.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has encouraged Republican lawmakers to skip the town halls, according to The Associated Press. "They're professional protesters," Johnson said at a news conference in early March. "So why would we give them a forum to do that right now?"
Democrats have sought to capitalize on the development. Minnesota Gov. and 2024 vice presidential candidate Tim Walz recently launched a town hall tour targeting GOP districts and the Democratic National Committee is targeting vulnerable House Republicans with ads that say the lawmakers "won't talk to his/her constituents," according to Tuesday reporting from Axios.
Ocasio-Cortez is set to join Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for five stops of his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour in Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada from Thursday through Saturday.
This article has been updated to correct the quote in the headline.
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Tim Walz Offers to Meet With Voters Whose GOP Reps Refuse to Hold Town Halls
"Canceling town halls to avoid voter backlash is the thing you do, right before you lose the majority," said one Democratic strategist.
Mar 04, 2025
Voters in Republican districts may see considerably less of their members of Congress in the coming months following a directive from the chair of the U.S. House GOP's campaign arm on Tuesday, but Democratic leaders including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz offered to fill in for lawmakers who don't want to face constituents who have questions about the Trump-Republican agenda.
"If your Republican representative won't meet with you because their agenda is so unpopular, maybe a Democrat will," said Walz, who was former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 election. "Hell, maybe I will."
Walz's offer followed reports that Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), said in a private meeting that members of the right-wing caucus should no longer meet in person with constituents at town halls to avoid the outcry that has garnered media attention at many recent meetings.
As the party has pushed for $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid and federal food assistance in the budget proposal that the House passed last month—to help fund a tax cut for the richest Americans—and as President Donald Trump's billionaire ally, Elon Musk, has spearheaded massive cuts to federal agencies, Republicans at town halls have faced angry voters from across the political spectrum.
In Kansas on Saturday, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) stood up and left his own town hall after a voter asked how the GOP can support mass firings that have impacted thousands of veterans.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) was booed last month at a town hall as voters denounced the Republican Party's support for cuts to federal health agencies, and lawmakers in Alaska, Wisconsin, and Oregon faced similar reactions.
Right-wing commentators quickly dismissed the outcry about cuts to crucial public services as the result of Democrats mobilizing their voters—in apparent disbelief that constituents, without being prompted, would express anger about cuts to a healthcare program that serves nearly 80 million people.
On Monday, Trump dismissed people who have spoken out at town halls as paid "troublemakers," and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday that those who have demanded answers from lawmakers about Musk's activities and the budget proposal are "Democrat activists who don't live in the district."
"They're professional protesters," he told reporters. "So why would we give them a forum to do that right now?"
Republicans have not presented any evidence that people speaking out about Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the party's economic agenda are being paid to do so.
U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) went as far as to compare people who object to public spending cuts to Neo-Nazis and threatening to arrest people who are "disruptive" at town halls and charge them with a misdemeanor.
"I'm not going to put up with these agitators," said Van Orden. "We're not doing it. Republicans are too nice."
Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of the podcast "Pod Save America" and a former Obama administration official, said that "canceling town halls to avoid voter backlash is the thing you do, right before you lose the majority."
At the GOP meeting, Hudson reportedly told lawmakers that "the paid resistance people are out there like in 2017," leading Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) to ask whether the Republican Party also blames the "paid resistance" for their loss of more than 40 House seats in the 2018 elections, which followed the party's attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act and its passage of the 2017 tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy.
Walz suggested Republicans' refusal to engage with their constituents could present an opportunity for Democrats to win more support in GOP districts.
"If your congressman refuses to meet, I'll come host an event in their district to help local Democrats beat 'em," said the governor.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) wrote in a column at The American Prospect Tuesday that he already has plans to meet with voters in Republican voters, just as GOP lawmakers retreat.
"Starting March 24th, I will be going to three red districts in California to speak out against DOGE's mass firings and the Republicans' Medicaid cuts. This is a moment for progressives to speak directly to people across the country, especially in places that have been hollowed out by the offshoring of jobs and failed policies that have put billionaires over the working class," wrote Khanna, noting that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) spoke in Nebraska and Iowa districts last month where GOP members face competitive elections in 2026.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) added that she hosts "a town hall every single month because it gives me an opportunity to hear from my constituents and not hide from them."
"But I am not surprised Republicans are cowards," she said, "and will now be hiding from their constituents."
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