'Buckle up': Ex-GOP lawmaker warns even Republicans in safe districts are at risk
February 21, 2025
Americans have reacted to President Donald Trump's vast cuts to government services by flooding their local lawmakers with complaints, and one former congressman expects this will scare off future town hall events.
Trump tasked Elon Musk with making massive government cuts to eliminate "waste, fraud, and abuse" through his Department of Government Efficiency. Since then, lawsuits have plagued the departments over the cuts it has made to the government without any congressional input.
And now there's evidence that voters are starting to get anxious about this, as Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) was jeered back home by an angry crowd of constituents who oppose the slashing of government staff and services.
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Speaking to MSNBC about the matter Friday, former Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) recalled the 2017 town hall meetings in which GOP lawmakers were excoriated by their constituents for attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
"Republicans realize they're in a very defensive position," Dent said. "That what Musk and Trump are doing through DOGE is having real consequences across the country. And many of those Republicans now are forced into a position — do they side with Donald Trump, or do they side with the constituents in their districts who have lost their jobs?"
"The district like you described where [Trump] won by 22 or 24 points, some of these districts are going to be competitive in the 2026 midterm. So some of these folks who think they're safe right now and in very, very safe Trump districts are going to find out they're not that safe," Dent warned. "If I were a Republican, I'd buckle up and get ready."
Reporters said that the congressman's staff in Georgia seemed "caught off guard" that so many people were there and were furious. It prompted MSNBC host Ana Cabrera to ask if the lawmakers are "living in a bubble" in Washington.
"Well, I think the smart ones understand it," Dent said. "So, I think smart Republicans realize that they are in a very delicate position."
"They're going to have to defend that," Dent said of Republican lawmakers. "And that town hall you saw yesterday is likely to be replicated. All across the country and I suspect many members will not be holding town halls just because of that experience."
See the clip below or at the link here.
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