Republican lawmaker's raucous town hall reflects challenges promoting Trump's bill
Source: Reuters
June 9, 2025 12:57 PM EDT Updated 6 hours ago
MAHOPAC, New York, June 9 (Reuters) - Democratic voter Joe Mayhew, a union representative from Pawling, New York, was one of several people at a rowdy town hall with Republican Representative Mike Lawler on Sunday keen to point out potential pitfalls with President Donald Trump's budget. He fears proposed changes to Medicaid requirements could have a devastating effect on people unable to work through no fault of their own.
"If your cuts to Medicaid pass, a person working in a low-paying job as an individual contractor who falls ill or has work interrupted because it's seasonal, or because it was a job shutdown - something not of any fault of their own - could not make your 80-hour requirement on a particular month," Mayhew, 63, told Lawler at the town hall in Mahopac, New York. Mayhew’s employer is a local union that represents hospital workers, endorsed Lawler’s Democratic opponent last year, and has protested against Lawler. Lawler defended the bill's Medicaid provision, which requires recipients age 19-64 who have no dependents to work, volunteer or be in school at least 80 hours a month starting in 2027.
"The objective is to help people get into the workforce ultimately," he said. The exchange at the Sunday night event, where boos were more common than cheers, reflects the kinds of issues that are vexing some Republicans as they seek to promote and defend Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill. The two-hour town hall, attended by roughly 500 people, was also an indication of how voters in a swing district that narrowly voted for Lawler feel about the bill and Trump's agenda more broadly. Topics ranged from the justification of Trump's June 14 military parade to attacks on higher education, to whether ICE agents should wear masks during raids and how to fund social security in the future.
A moderate Republican representing New York's 17th District, Lawler won reelection in November, defeating former Democratic Representative Mondaire Jones with over 52% of votes. He has expressed interest in running for governor. Lawler’s district was the scene of one of the 2022 general election's biggest upsets when he beat Democratic Representative Sean Patrick Maloney – who was head of the Democrats' House campaign arm.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/republican-lawmakers-raucous-town-hall-reflects-challenges-promoting-trumps-bill-2025-06-09/
= new reply since forum marked as read
