Nebraska Representative Mike Flood had a prepared answer ready for a question he knew was coming.But the crowd wasn’t impressed with what he had to say.
During a town hall meeting this week, Flood was asked a straightforward question: what are you going to do for people with disabilities who rely on government benefits?
Flood instantly brought up Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
“Under the One Big Beautiful Bill, we protected a system that would not have been around long-term if left unchecked,” Flood started.
As loud boos filled the room, Flood tried to keep going.
“The developmentally disabled, the mentally ill, and older people,” he continued over the noise, “We protected Medicaid in a smart, bipartisan way.”
The crowd responded with even more jeers.
This exchange showed a bigger issue for Republicans trying to sell Trump’s major domestic bill.
Flood tried to present the bill as protecting Medicaid, but independent experts and his own voters have a different view.
Remember, the bill cuts almost $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next ten years, according to Congress.
Health care experts warn that these cuts will force states to reduce services, leave vulnerable Americans without care, and put hundreds of rural hospitals at risk.
Flood has already admitted that some rural hospitals may have to stop offering full services and just act as emergency rooms as money becomes tighter.
He also got booed when he praised the SAVE America Act, which requires proof of citizenship for voter registration but mostly eliminates mail-in voting.
At another point, someone asked Flood, “When are you going to call up President Trump before he bankrupts this country?”
But the strongest reaction came from the Medicaid question.
The question wasn’t about numbers or political slogans.
It came from someone asking about people with disabilities.People who are struggling and any government with a sense of responsibility should believe are worth the cost of their care and more.
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