Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was widely derided after footage from a town hall in his state showed audience members loudly booed him when he attempted to defend the GOP amid criticism toward President Donald Trump's disastrous policies that that are adversely impacting working class voters.
Flood defended his support for the GOP’s sweeping tax and spending bill, calling out “a lot of misinformation” he said was being spread about the legislation. The measure passed Congress last month without a single Democratic vote and despite reservations from some Republicans, particularly over its implications for welfare and Medicaid.
Much of the audience's anger focused on the bill’s impact on Medicaid. Flood argued the legislation didn’t cut benefits for vulnerable groups, saying the changes don’t affect “anybody that's disabled, that is of senior age and unable to work, anybody that is pregnant or the vulnerable.”
Challenged on how he could justify removing health care access, Flood doubled down:
"If you are able to work, and you're 28 years old and you choose not to work, you don't get free health care in America. If you are in this country illegally, you do not get free health care in America."
And yet despite all of this pushback and the concerns of those most affected by the widely unpopular legislation, Flood managed to say the following with a straight face to an angry voter who questioned the GOP's commitment to their constituents:
"With all due respect, sir, the Republican party, now more than ever, represents the heart and soul of the working class."
You can watch what happened in the video below.
Try as he might, Flood was not convincing anyone—and he was harshly criticized for his remarks.
Flood has faced significant criticism from Nebraska voters in recent months for his defense of the Trump administration's policies.
In March, a clip from one of his town halls went viral after nearly 400 attendees cheered and chanted "Tax the rich!" in response to Flood's dismissal of such proposals amid criticisms that Republicans are driving up the national debt.
At one point, one attendee asked if there is anything Flood will do to "stand up against Trump." Flood sidestepped criticism, saying, "A great majority of Nebraskans voted to elect Donald Trump as president in this state."
Trump for his part has urged Republicans to ignore the concerns of their voters, claiming baselessly that audience members at their town halls have been made up of "paid troublemakers" that are secretly Democrats.