Representative Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican, has spoken out following a high-profile heckling at his Asheville town hall and addressed the furor around the event.
Newsweek reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson‘s office for comment by email on Saturday afternoon.
Why It Matters
Some Republicans have faced nearly relentless heckling at recent town halls as constituents berate lawmakers over federal agency and budget cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an unofficial agency created through executive order and nominally led by Elon Musk.
President Donald Trump last week dismissed the controversy as the work of “paid troublemakers,” and Republican leaders have speculated that Democrats organized the protests. The GOP has advised party members to stop holding the town halls, although some have continued to do so.
What To Know
Edwards made headlines this week for a particularly contentious town hall event that included the removal of several attendees as they questioned cuts to veteran assistance and other programs. Videos of hecklers yelling at Edwards have racked up over 1 million views in just days.
He finally broke his silence on Saturday with an interview appearance on CNN, during which he addressed the anger of constituents and his own takeaways from the interactions in Asheville.
Edwards surprised CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield by saying he “enjoyed the lively conversation,” stressing that there were “many people that took time to be there” and “took time to put questions in the box that they wanted answered.”
“I believe it’s part of the democratic process, even though it might be uncomfortable from time-to-time, I think town halls are necessary,” Edwards said.
The congressman added: “I believe that we all need to go back and make sure that we have our facts right. I need to ask of the Trump White House that they provide the facts of the layoffs, for example, that they’re making. And I believe that the American people, including those right there in that room, need to not necessarily believe the political talking points that they’re seeing on Facebook, but actually get down to the facts.”
Edwards insisted that much of the discussion has centered on “facts that were not in the bill” that Congress passed this week in order to avoid a government shutdown, including claims that the bill would make cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He accused news media of repeating the facts without verifying them and that it was “real easy for people to believe.”
“There was an allegation that 80,000 people had been laid off that that was included in the budget that I helped pass. Nothing like that happened,” Edwards said. “There was an allegation that Medicare and Social Security were being cut. Nothing of the sort has happened.”
The congressman continued: “I believe that we all need to make sure that we’re speaking from the standpoint of what actually has happened and what’s taking place, as opposed to listening to this political tripe.”
Edwards promised to have his team “source and find out exactly what have been the cuts, how might they affect this district, and then I’ll make the decision whether or not I feel they’re in the best interest of this district or not.”
“In some cases, the information that we need is just not there, which is one of the things that is important about us having an organization like Elon Musk and DOGE,” he said.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social: “Paid ‘troublemakers’ are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings. It is all part of the game for the Democrats, but just like our big LANDSLIDE ELECTION, it’s not going to work for them!”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told reporters at a news conference: “We’ve seen this movie before. They’re professional protesters. So why would we give them a forum to do that right now?
Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in last year’s election wrote on Thursday on X, formerly Twitter: “People want to make their voices heard, but their congressmen are hiding in Washington and refusing to do town halls. I’m going to join Democrats across the country to show up where Republicans aren’t.”
What Happens Next?
Edwards reiterated his commitment to holding town halls in the face of the backlash, telling CNN that he hit a pace of eight town halls in his first congressional term and would look to maintain a “similar pace” in his current term.
Meanwhile, Democrats announced a series of town halls in Republican-held districts across the country, with Walz holding two that would start this weekend.
The post Republican Lawmaker Speaks Out After Contentious Town Hall appeared first on Newsweek.
