Nebraska 1st District Republican Mike Flood came face-to-face with the dismay of constituents during a Monday town hall hosted in Lincoln.
Scheduled exactly one month after President Donald Trump signed his tax-and-spending package the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) into law, Flood’s public forum followed similarly irate town halls in Columbus and Seward earlier this year.
Prior to the event, Flood told KLIN News he planned to touch on local topics like Lincoln’s East Beltway project and the relocation of the Downtown Post Office, as well as the OBBB. But during the 90-minute session, the former never came up, while the latter sucked the oxygen out of the room
Given Flood’s 2025 town hall run and the political makeup of Lincoln—a Democrat-dominated city—observers could have guessed the townhall would be rancorous. But the crowd’s energetic yelling of “WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL” while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, was an early indicator.
Flood was defensive from the start, parrying boos from the crowd during his opening remarks, justifying his ‘yea’ vote for the OBBB. Attendees loudly rejected his characterization of misinformation surrounding the OBBB.
He started by emphasizing that Medicare—the federal health insurance program for people age 65 or older and younger people with disabilities—was not touched by the President’s budget package.
“If you’re watching tonight and you get Medicare, you do not have to worry about changes to your program,” Flood said, speaking directly to the camera and viewers watching on PBS, C-Span, and Nebraska Public Media.
This claim is contested. The OBBB does not make direct cuts to Medicare, but groups like the Center for Medicare Advocacy say many beneficiaries will be indirectly impacted.
The crowd booed Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and the state lawmakers when Flood mentioned the passage of a bill to deliver $700 million to Nebraska hospitals in Medicaid funding in the coming fiscal year.
Work requirements placed on programs like Medicaid also drew jeers from the crowd.
“If you are able to work and you are able-bodied, you have to work. If you choose not to work, you do not get free healthcare,” Flood shouted over loud boos.
“Okay. So here’s a question,” Flood replied. “Do you think that people who are 28 years old, that can work and refuse to work, should get free healthcare?”
The crowd cheered in approval.
“I don’t think that a majority of Nebraskans agree with you,” Flood said back.
He then pivoted, saying if the House did not pass the OBBB, “It would have been a $1,600 tax increase to every Nebraska family. That is a true middle-class tax cut.”
Flood’s remarks were interrupted by chants of “TAX THE RICH.” He quickly moved through his remaining points and on to audience questions.
When asked in a written question, “Why did you cut SNAP and healthcare research?” the crowd cheered. Flood replied, “We do not have unlimited money in the United States.” The crowd booed.
While Flood explained fluctuations in federal SNAP spending due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more “TAX THE RICH” chants rang out.
When asked about the national debt approaching $37 trillion, an attendee could be heard yelling over Flood, asking “What about the 1%-ers? Are they paying their share?”
In a now viral exchange, one attendee asked: “With 450 million FEMA dollars being reallocated to open Alligator Alcatraz and 600 million taxpayer FEMA dollars being used to now open more concentration camps and ICE burning through 8.4 million dollars a day to illegally detain people, how much does it cost for fascism? How much do the tax payers have to pay for a fascist country?”
“Americans went to the polls in November and they had a choice between a Democratic candidate that had an open border, no enforcement, fentanyl, drugs, human trafficking. They had a choice between that and a candidate that said, close the border, get illegal immigrants out of our country, stop the fentanyl, stop the human trafficking, stop the drug trafficking, stop the crime, stop the violence. That’s what Americans voted for,” Flood yelled over an erupting crowd.
The hall, filled with over 700 voters, cheered when Flood was asked “Why are you covering up the Epstein files?”
“At the next pro forma session of the Congress, you’ll find my name as a sponsor on a resolution from the House Rules Committee to release the Epstein files to protect the victims and not re-victimize them again,” said Flood. “I support House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer subpoenaing Ghislaine Maxwell later this month to come testify in Washington. I am for the release of those records.”
Another attendee levied accusations of fascism at Flood, invoking the Jan. 6 United States Capitol attack and President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
“These are markers of fascism… You said in Seward that you were not a fascist. Your complicity says otherwise,” the man said.
Flood replied: “Sir, I want to be very clear with you… Fascists don’t hold town halls with open question and answer series. I will tell you this, I support law enforcement. What happened on January 6, 2021 was not right, and I’m on the record saying so.”
A written question asked: “What specific action are you taking to defund or continue support to Israel and their aggressions on the [West] Bank and genocide against Palestinians living in Gaza?”
Flood initially misspoke, saying, “What happened on October 8th was an abomination,” before correcting himself to October 7, 2023 — the date when Hamas militants breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, killing 736 Israeli civilians, 79 foreign nationals, and 379 members of the security forces.
Notably, Flood was not referring to the Israeli counteroffensive, which began within hours and was in full swing by the following day. Even by the most conservative estimates, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 150,000 wounded by Israeli attacks in Gaza since Oct. 7.
“I support Israel,” Flood snapped back. “They have every right to root out Hamas and these evil terrorists… I also believe that our country, working with Israel, needs to do everything we can to get those children food. No American wants any child, no matter the place they live, to ever suffer. But you got to remember, we’re dealing with Hamas. They use these Palestinians as human shields in their pursuit of terror and destruction against Israelis. I support Israel. I support Israel. I support Israel.”
The same day as Flood’s town hall, the United Nation’s World Food Programme warned that all children of Gaza under the age of five are at risk of life-threatening malnourishment, amid growing reports of starvation-related deaths as Israel continues to block aid from entering the besieged Gaza Strip.
The crowd booed through his response with chants of “FREE PALESTINE.”
When asked about President Trump’s firing of Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, hours after she released a report indicating that hiring had slowed down significantly over the past three months, Flood said he “didn’t know what the situation was.”
“If all that person did was get the data out there… I would not have fired her. To be honest, I don’t know, because things are complicated. It’s easy to listen to a 30 second story on TV and think that you know all the details. I don’t know all the details, but I’m sure we will be talking about that when I get back to Washington in September,” he said.
Question themes began to repeat as the town hall entered its final stretch, with many attendees expressing dissatisfaction with Flood’s answers. The most dominant theme: frustration over wealth inequality and calls for a more equitable tax structure.
Flood was asked, “Why does it seem like when you make your voting decisions, they’re based on capital rather than the working class? Billionaires and corporations got their tax issues enshrined in the law forever, but the working class gets a tax exemption on tips or overtime that only applies to some of us.”
“With all due respect, sir, the Republican Party, now more than ever, represents the heart and soul of the working class,” Flood replied, followed by maybe the loudest boo of the night.
The next question, “Would you sign on or write up a bill for Medicare for all? We’ve got Medicare now. We can start rolling back the age, five, ten years at a time. Would you support that?”
“We can’t afford that,” Flood said in response.
The questioner shot back, “Yes, you can!”
Asked again about “making the rich pay their fair share…” chants of “TAX THE RICH” rang out for the third time that night.
Flood took a sidebar, speaking directly to the people watching at home.
“I never forget who I’m working for. People in this room are important, but everybody in this state has a voice. There’s a lot of people in this state that like the direction that this country is going. I’m not saying it’s perfect and I’m not saying we can never do better. But I’m here to listen to you,” Flood said. “I know when I choose how to vote, that I am ultimately accountable to you because I work for you. I will never forget that I work for you, which means no matter your position, no matter your ask, no matter the casework you suggest, I will go to bat to fight for you.”
In response, another questioner asked “Who do you work for? Do you work for billionaires out of state or people in this room?”
Flood again reiterated his characterization of the OBBB as “a middle class tax cut,” which the crowd, again, rejected with an uproar.
With many still lined up to question the Congressman, Flood motioned to end the town hall, saying, “If you need assistance from my office, call my office, come see me. I will be visible, I will be accessible. For those of you watching from home, please know I am on your side. I never forget who I’m working for. It is an honor to serve you and a privilege to serve you and the United States Congress.”
His final closing remarks were drowned out by more chants: “VOTE HIM OUT.”