Congressman Mike Flood greeted by hostile crowd at Columbus town hall

Several hundred attendees filled the Columbus High School auditorium for the Congressman Mike Flood's first town hall during President Donald Trump's second term.

Flood represents Nebraska's 1st Congressional District, which includes Lincoln, Bellevue, Fremont, Norfolk and Columbus.

Platte County, where the town hall was held, voted overwhelmingly for Republicans in 2024. Trump won the county with 78.7% of the electorate and Flood fared even better, winning 83.1% of voters. Based on the crowd inside, it seemed as though the percentages were flipped.

Most questioners were displeased with the actions of Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, criticizing what they perceived as Flood’s inaction to stop them.

The congressman fielded several questions about proposed cuts to Medicaid and the federal workforce by referencing the national debt. A giant screen over the stage displayed the $36 trillion dollar figure, ticking upward every few seconds.

"Ultimately, where we need to go is to a balanced budget," Flood said in a response to a question about cuts to National Institutes of Health funding.

Boos followed, prompting Flood to ask the crowd, "How can you be against a balanced budget?"

Moments later, a "tax the rich" chant was echoing throughout the auditorium.

Applause was seldom throughout the night, but the crowd’s most positive reaction came when Flood expressed his support for Ukraine and NATO.

"I do not feel like Ukraine should have to give up any land to Russia. I also believe that the Russians should return the 20,000 Ukrainian children they kidnap. I want better relations with Ukraine, and I want a strong NATO, and I want us involved in NATO," he said, each line interrupted by thunderous applause.

Speaking to the media after the town hall, Flood said some of the concerns people raised at the town hall will make him ask more questions when he goes back to Washington, particularly regarding proposed cuts on programs meant to help veterans.

“I heard a lot of concern about the Department of Veterans Affairs and what's been presented. I'm going to go visit the hospital. I'm going to go visit the director. I'm going to ask more questions. I saw very clearly that a lot of my constituents had questions about it," he said.

Earlier this month, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson advised Congressional Republicans against holding in-person town halls, alleging that Democratic activists were being paid to disrupt them. Flood said the events come with the job of being a congressman.

“There’s probably some people here that didn't agree with my position on a lot of things, but they went home with the satisfaction of knowing they let their representative know how they felt," he said. "I think that, at a minimum, there's some value in that."

Congressman Don Bacon, who represents Nebraska's Omaha-centric 2nd District, will hold a virtual town hall next Tuesday. Flood said he will hold another town hall in Lincoln sometime in August.