The event in Lincoln, Nebraska attracted a wild crowd that was constantly screaming and booed as GOP Rep. Mike Flood defended Trump administration policies.
Trump defends claims in job reports defending the shooting of labor statistics
President Donald Trump defended the decision to fire the Bureau of Labor Statistics Director Erica Mantelfer’s Office, claiming that the employment report was “equipped.”
Rep. Mike Flood said he wanted to talk about President Donald Trump’s signature law and declared that there were “many misinformation” surrounding it.
That’s when the screams began as Republican lawmakers faced a crowd at the wild town hall in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 4th.
Audiences at Kimball Recital Hall at the University of Nebraska Lincoln University pushed the flood after releasing Jeffrey Epstein’s files, denounced Trump as “fascism” and raised concerns about cutting government programs. They screamed as the flood spoke, and booed continuously.
Trump carried Nebraska 20% points in 2024, and the flood won districts in 2024 that include Lincoln and other communities in the eastern part of the state at the same margin.
Trump’s top priority was a package that included sweep and deep reductions in sweep to spending on programs such as Medicaid, and was frequently targeted.
One woman called this measure a “monster.”
The president signed a new law on July 4th. While the house is on a break until September, lawmakers are currently home in their districts and hearing directly from voters about the law.
Polls show that this measure is unpopular. Trump and the GOP have been preparing to sell voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. City Hall highlighted the challenges they face.
The crowd was taken down in the flood. He opened events in the defense of the law, praised tax cuts, and tried to preempt some of the criticism by focusing on Medicaid’s labor requirements and funds to support rural hospitals.
“More than anything, I really believe this bill will protect future Medicaid,” Flood said.
The crowd booed and criticism continued to come.
The law is projected to cut $1 trillion from Medicaid and Affordable Care Act insurance plans primarily and eliminate 11.8 million insurance coverage over the next decade.
It raised concerns that thousands of Nebraskans are losing health insurance coverage. Other members focused on the CBO’s forecast that the law would increase national debt by $3.4 trillion over a decade.
“Why do you cover the Epstein Files?” as the Trump administration got caught up in a controversy over the release of government records regarding Epstein, a wealthy investor who died in prison while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019.
Flood said he supports releasing the records.
Lawmakers were also pressed on how to ensure the accuracy of the country’s economic data after President Trump decided to fire Erica Mantelfer, director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Flood said he didn’t know the details, but “If that person did, if they had the data there…and I don’t know that’s true, but if that was all they did, I wouldn’t have fired her.”
“But I don’t know because things are complicated,” Flood added.
Contribution: Ken Alltucker
