Crowd at Harrisburg town hall has sharp criticism for U.S. Rep. Alford
Mitchell Kaminski
HARRISBURG, Mo. (KMIZ)
A town hall crowd that packed the Harrisburg Lions Club was sharply critical of U.S. Rep. Mark Alford (R-Raytown), his congressional votes, and his support of President Donald Trump and his policies.
Alford, whose district includes about half of Boone County, held the event Wednesday night as part of his town hall tour, which features 15 stops in four days. A stop in Fayette is on the Thursday schedule for the final day of the tour.
“I think a lot of lawmakers, not just Republicans, but Democrats as well, don’t really want to get out because it’s gotten so heated and so hectic,” Alford told ABC 17 News.
Earlier this year, the National Republican Congressional Committee advised it’s members to avoid town halls. Since the August recess, less than 20% of the 219 House Republicans have hosted any type of town hall.
“Two ladies said in this town hall tour ‘It takes a lot of courage to do this’, No it doesn’t this is our job,” Alford said. “This is a heavily Republican district. They sent me to Washington. But I point out to everyone, when you get into this office, it’s not just about representing the people that you sent there. I represent everyone in this district, and I’m not going to agree with everyone, but I still want to hear your viewpoint.”
Over 100 people packed the Lions Club in Harrisburg to speak with Alford, in an event that grew contentious at times. The line of people wanting to speak was so long that Alfrod stayed an extra hour after the event was set to end to answer questions.
Many attendees urged Alford to host a town hall in Columbia, something Alford said he would consider next year.
Key topics discussed during the Harrisburg event included the ‘Big Beautiful Bills’ impacts on healthcare and President Donald Trump’s move to send the national guard into cities to fight crime.
“He really did not answer those questions. You know, he said ‘I don’t like tariffs’, but yet he voted for it. People brought up health care, but he didn’t answer those questions,” Alice Turner said after the event.
On rural healthcare, Alford highlighted a $50 billion transfer fund he says will help communities. But town hall attendees noted the bill also cuts $880 billion from Medicaid, the largest health care cut in U.S. history.
“The future is very dim and I hope Mr. Alford is listening tonight to this opposition,” Turner said.
Alford said he supported Trump’s decision to send in the National Guard to Los Angeles, saying it was necessary to protect the lives of ICE officers. He also pointed to the success federal troops have had in Washington D.C, saying that carjackings were down 87% since they arrived.
However, some constituents in Harrisburg pushed back, saying that Trump claimed to care about “law and order” but did nothing when an angry mob stormed the U.S Capitol on January 6, and even pardoned people who attacked police officers.
“I’ve seen a lot of things on my time on earth but I have never seen the things we are witnessing now in this country,” one man told Alfrod at the town hall. “It’s no longer the Republican party that you’re in, you’re now in the Trump party.”
However, Alford told ABC 17 News that he would still be open to the National Guard being sent to Missouri in cities like Kansas City and St. Louis where crime is “out of control”.
“I think if Mike Kehoe, the governor who campaigned on law and order, who campaigned on having a secure and safe Missouri, would want the president to come in ahead of FIFA and the World Cup, where we’re going to have millions of people here in Missouri that don’t normally live here from all over the world. I think that’s a good idea,” Alford said.
Kehoe has spoken with the Trump administration about possible redistricting. While it could give Republicans another House seat in the Kansas City area, it might also make Alford’s district more competitive. Alfrod told ABC 17 that he is staying out of the redistricting fight.
“This is between President Trump, Governor Kehoe, and the state lawmakers,” Alford said. “I truly believe that every district should represent the will of the people in that district. And if the state legislature redraws the boundary line, no matter where that ends up for the fourth Congressional District, Missouri, I promise to fight hard for those people in that district. “
Watch a replay of the event live stream here.