An Iowa Republican heard from angry constituents at a combative town hall as Congress seeks to end the weeks-long government shutdown.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) was heckled and booed throughout an hourlong event in Keosauqua, and both law enforcement and the congresswoman's security detail escorted out some audience members who stood up and disrupted the event, reported The Gazette.
“It was just a lot more talking points — basically her social media played out in real time," said Mike Mallon, a 59-year-old retiree from Davenport. "She just needed to check the box and say she had a town hall."
House Republicans had advised lawmakers to avoid in-person town halls after similarly raucous scenes played out at events over the summer, and the 70-year-old Miller-Meeks said in August she would hold one "when hell freezes over."
Miller-Meeks has recently held telephone and radio forums that have drawn thousands of participants, adding that she also makes herself available at public events like the state fair, and the congresswoman complained that Democrats were trying to “stage confrontations for cameras.”
Farmers at this week's Davenport event challenged Miller-Meeks over her continued support for President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which she defended as ”a negotiating tool,” but a woman in the crowd received applause when she pushed back on the topic.
"My husband’s a farmer," the woman said. "He’s hurt by tariffs."
Others asked how she would help small towns struggling with stagnant economic growth, and Miller-Meeks insisted that lower taxes and fewer regulations would “create a competitive environment” for businesses, and she was booed loudly for defending Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
"[They] are doing their job to deport criminal illegal immigrants," Miller-Meeks said.
A group of family members and supporters demonstrated outside and called on iller-Meeks to help prevent the deportation of Daniel Angel Meléndez, a local immigrant worker, and his wife said a staff member invited her to meet with the congresswoman alone.
“I told her Daniel's story, and honestly, she waited to take pictures until I was crying,” said wife María Lozano, a U.S. citizen. “She was even holding my hand taking pictures, and, I don't know … I felt like she wasn't — it was just she didn’t care, honestly. She asked me for my personal information, and said that she will get back to me.”
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