Republican Rep. Mike Flood encountered a hostile crowd at a town hall meeting in Bellevue, Nebraska, on Tuesday, facing repeated boos and shouts from attendees. The contentious event, captured on video, saw constituents pressing the congressman on a range of issues, including the SAVE America Act, Israel, NATO, and the Trump administration’s policies.
During the meeting, Flood was heckled as he discussed declining violent crime rates, stating that they were down in American cities and citing deportation efforts. "Violent crime is down in American cities. Violent crime is down in New York City. A lot of people that came here that were committing crimes have either been incarcerated or deported. The numbers speak for themselves," Flood said to jeers.
The congressman also faced pushback when voicing support for the proposed SAVE America Act and voter ID laws. "What I can't stand is what is so objectionable about having to show a driver's license, a passport, or a birth certificate at your place where you vote," Flood stated, which was met with boos. He added that while Nebraska experiences little election fraud, secure elections breed respect for laws and democratic institutions.
When challenged on claims of election fraud, Flood stated he believes Joe Biden was duly elected president in 2020 and has never argued the election results were inaccurate.
Flood's support for Israel also drew boos from the audience. Referring to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, he said, "We have no greater ally in the Middle East than Israel." He further commented, "If that had happened on our soil, we as Americans would rise up and eliminate that threat."
Regarding foreign policy, Flood expressed support for NATO, calling it an important contributor to global security. He also described Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a thug" and voiced support for Ukraine.
A more positive reception came when Flood discussed a bipartisan housing bill, expressing confidence it would become law. However, the mention of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes cuts to government benefits like Medicaid and SNAP, again elicited loud boos and concerns from constituents about losing food assistance.
"I want people that are food insecure to get resources. I also want people that are able-bodied and can work to work. If you don't work, you shouldn't expect free healthcare," Flood said in response to concerns about Medicaid and SNAP.
This event follows similar town hall confrontations for Flood. He was previously shouted down in Seward, Nebraska, on May 28 of last year while defending the then-proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In August of the same year, he faced a hostile crowd in Lincoln regarding the bill's impact on Medicaid.