A Not-So-Fun Recess: Hostile Crowds Confront GOP Lawmakers Over Repeal Plans
“With all due respect, sir, you’re the man that talked about the death panels. We’re going to create one great big death panel in this country,” the vice chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party’s Rural Caucus said at Sen. Chuck Grassley's town hall meeting. Across the country, lawmakers are facing agitated and concerned voters during their weeklong recess.
The New York Times:
At Town Halls, Doses Of Fury And A Bottle Of Tums
Representative Marsha Blackburn may have expected to draw a friendly crowd by scheduling a town hall-style meeting in a Tennessee community that had voted overwhelmingly for President Trump, but she instead faced a hurricane-strength blast of disapproval on Tuesday. Ms. Blackburn, an eight-term Republican, was sharply questioned about a wide range of issues that have unsettled Mr. Trump’s first month in office, including health care, the environment, education and the president’s links to Russia. (Gabriel, Kaplan, Alvarez and Huetteman, 2/21)
The Associated Press:
GOP Members Of Congress Meet With Protests At Town Halls
A month into Trump's presidency, protests continue over his immigration policies, Cabinet selections and the GOP's push to repeal the Affordable Care Act, without all the specifics on how to replace it. At the town halls, protesters are probing their lawmakers to see if they will veer from some of Trump's more controversial decisions, and if they will promise coverage for those currently served by the Affordable Care Act. Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to address the town halls. "The so-called angry crowds in home districts of some Republicans are actually, in numerous cases, planned out by liberal activists. Sad!" he tweeted. (Matisse, 2/21)
The Associated Press:
US Senate Leader: Winners Make Policy, Losers Go Home
Nearly 1,000 people jeered Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as he drove to a speech Tuesday where he told local business leaders that "winners make policy and the losers go home." ... Several people stood and booed as McConnell finished his remarks, including answering a few questions about the Affordable Care Act and regulations on the financial industry imposed by the legislation known as Dodd-Frank. McConnell was largely unfazed by those he called "the people outside," saying he was "proud" of them for expressing their views. (Beam, 2/21)
Politico:
This Time, Grassley Hears Pro-Obamacare Voices
What a difference eight years makes. More than 100 Iowans on Tuesday packed into a small farm town community center by 7:45 a.m. to urge Sen. Chuck Grassley not to repeal Obamacare, and to air their opposition to President Donald Trump’s agenda, his Cabinet nominees and his Supreme Court pick. (Haberkorn, 2/21)
Politico:
GOP Lessons From The Latest Round Of Brutal Town Halls
An overflow crowd here was eager to take on Rep. Dave Brat, the conservative Republican who just weeks earlier needled liberal protesters in his district and groused about all the women “in my grill” over GOP plans to repeal and replace Obamacare. But with a plain-spoken approach — and a format that didn't revolve around live-fire questions from the combative crowd — Brat offered his colleagues a potential blueprint for defusing tense constituent town halls that have bedeviled his Republican colleagues as they’ve been swarmed by protesters. (Cheney, 2/21)
CNN:
Brat Faces Raucous Crowd At Town Hall
Rep. Dave Brat faced a raucous crowd Tuesday night at a town hall here in the outer edge of his district, where a majority of the room interrupted him with angry shouts and jeers. The Virginia Republican took at least 34 questions for over an hour and at times appeared to enjoy the back-and-forth. "I don't mind boisterousness. I'm having fun," Brat said toward the end, swinging his arm in the air as people continued to shout at him. "I like having debate, spirited conversation -- if you can have a conversation." (Killough, 2/21)
WAVY (Hampton Roads, Va.):
Boisterous Crowd Voices Concerns At Rep. Taylor’s First Town Hall In Va. Beach
Representative Scott Taylor (R-VA) held a packed town hall meeting at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach Monday night. 10 On Your Side’s Joe Fisher reports the crowd was at capacity with about 750 people inside. Hundreds more were turned away at the door because they couldn’t fit in the school’s auditorium. ... Taylor also said he supports the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the implementation of a new policy that doesn’t discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. “The vast majority of people are getting crushed by Obamacare,” he said. “What’s responsible I believe, is dissecting, having a discussion, and finding the best thing.” (Satchell, 2/21)
KTVH (Helena, Mont.):
Hundreds Gather In Helena To Ask Daines To Hold Town Hall
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines was scheduled to speak before the Montana House Tuesday, but several hours before the address, his office announced it had been rescheduled to Wednesday. Despite that change, hundreds of protesters still gathered on the State Capitol steps in Helena in hopes of getting the senator’s attention. ... Celeste Thompson, a home care worker, said she has health care because of the federal Affordable Care Act. She asked for more information on how Republicans in Congress plan to replace the ACA if it is repealed. “Our lives and so many others depend on access to health care,” Thompson said. “If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, that access will be stripped away from us.” (Ambarian, 2/21)
Montana Public Radio:
Protesters Give Sen Daines An Earful At The State Capitol
Just before U.S. Senator Steve Daines was scheduled to give a speech in front of Montana lawmakers Tuesday afternoon, a crowd of protesters gathered on the Capitol steps. The event was organized by a Facebook group called "Bring The Town Hall to Steve Daines". ... About an hour and a half before Senator Daines was scheduled to arrive at the Capitol Tuesday to address Montana's House of Representatives, he postponed his speech, pushing it to Wednesday. Staff with Senator Daines' office say he pushed his speech back a day to work with his schedule, saying Daines had several other reasons to be in Helena on Wednesday. (Cates-Carney, 2/21)
Arkansas Online:
Cotton Hears Medicare Concerns
A group of Arkansas senior citizens told U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton on Tuesday that they like their Medicare Advantage plans, but a few expressed concerns about higher spending caps and rising medication costs. Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle, told the group that he supports the federally-funded program and will defend it on Capitol Hill. Nonetheless, the overall health care system needs changes, he said, promising to work to improve it. (Lockwood, 2/22)
CQ Roll Call:
Health Coverage Questions Persist For Republicans
As Republican lawmakers face questions from constituents and colleagues about their plans to repeal and replace the 2010 health care law, they're finding few answers, including what kind of legislation could pass the Senate. Republicans do not need Democratic support to undo parts of the law, since they will move the legislation through the budget reconciliation process that requires a simple majority in the Senate. But with only 52 Republican senators, the GOP plan will need support from the party's conservatives and moderates, and it’s not clear what could get everyone on board. (Bowman, 2/22)
