Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) told boisterous crowd of thousands at a town hall meeting Saturday that they didn’t “know how to listen.”
“I understand why you’re so frustrated. You don’t know how to listen,” Sessions told the crowd protesting the GOP bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare, according to Dallas News.
Thousands of North Texans packed into Richardson High School, the paper reported, asking Sessions to stop the Republicans’ Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA).
{mosads}But Sessions defended the plan, which led the crowd to chant, “Do your job!” and, “Vote him out!”
“We’re going to make the changes. We’re going to pass the bill and we’re going to repeal ObamaCare,” said Sessions, who promised the GOP measure provides a more affordable path going forward.
Sessions also faced backlash from crowd members who want Congress to investigate Russia’s possible interference in the 2016 election, and to fight against President Trump’s recent budget proposal.
“Pete must go!” and “Answer the question!” rang out from the riled-up crowd regularly.
Sessions, in response to the angry crowd, said the vitriol from town halls will push lawmakers to end the open meetings.
“It is obvious to me that if we continue this, no member of Congress will want to meet with people,” he added, inspiring a louder rise in the crowd’s booing.
Angry constituents at town hall meetings have confronted Republican politicians across the county recently. Some avoided meeting their constituents face to face during the last recess by holding teleconferencing meetings or not hosting events at all.
The controversial repeal-and-replace plan will be voted on this Thursday. Many Republicans from both chambers denounced the bill for various reasons, with some saying it doesn’t go far enough to repeal ObamaCare and others saying it’s being rushed to the floor.