At a recent town hall meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska, Republican Congressman Mike Flood faced a crowd that was openly angry and critical of him the entire time.
The crowd loudly shared their frustration about many different issues that President Trump started. Some people watching the event believe it could be a sign of trouble for Republican politicians currently in office as they prepare for the 2026 midterm elections.
The meeting was filled with booing, shouting, and people chanting for Flood to be removed from his position. The congressman was asked about how the Trump administration handled the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case files. He also faced questions about cuts to Medicaid, immigration policies, and the controversial decision to fire Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Erika McEntarfer. People at the event also kept accusing Flood of supporting fascism.
The Guardian was able to get some of the questions and answers. When asked about the firing of McEntarfer, Flood said, “I don’t know what the situation was with [McEntarfer]. Neither do you. I don’t know. I don’t know… I can tell you – I’ve been an employer for a lot of years, and there’s always two sides to every story, and I don’t know what that side was. I will say this, though, if all that person did was get the data out there, if all that – and I don’t know that’s the case – but if that’s all they did, I would not have fired her.”
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When answering a question about the Epstein case files, Flood said he supported making them public. He also said he backed efforts to force Ghislaine Maxwell, who had been closely connected to Epstein for years, to speak before Congress.
Much of the crowd’s anger focused on a recent budget bill that Donald Trump strongly supported. The bill included large cuts to Medicaid funding. When asked about this, Flood defended his vote for the bill. Flood said, “I truly believe that this bill will allow America to experience growth, that it will allow our communities to thrive, that it will spark our economy, that it will help farmers and ranchers, that it will take care of the vulnerable. And more than anything, I truly believe this bill protects Medicaid for the future.”
The intense mood and the calls to “vote him out” at the town hall was not surprising, since the Nebraska Democratic Party had urged voters to go to the event. Throughout the meeting, the congressman was repeatedly booed and faced loud chants. When someone accused him of supporting fascism, he responded by saying that a fascist would not hold a public town hall where people could freely ask questions.
Flood was first elected to his seat in 2022 and won a second term in November. He took over for the previous officeholder, who resigned after being found guilty of a felony for lying to federal authorities.
Published: Aug 5, 2025 12:22 pm