ELKHORN — Congressman Bryan Steil hosted his first in-person town hall since January at Elkhorn Area High School Thursday night, facing an auditorium of people both for and against him and his policies.
Prior to the event, that drew about 200 attendees, some residents of Wisconsin’s First Congressional District that Steil represents gathered in front of the high school with signs that read “We won’t get over it,” and pleaded for him to stand up to President Donald Trump.
Walworth County Sheriff’s Office and the Elkhorn Police Department officers were at the event.
Kathy Aron, of Burlington, said she attended because she doesn’t accept what is happening in the country nor does she accept the congressman’s stances.
“He doesn’t want to face the music, but he’ll face it next fall,” she said. “We’ve been sending him emails and things for the last six months, and that you get the same boilerplate that’s just spouting the Trump line. He’s not doing what his constituents need or want.”
Steil, a Republican from Vlogý, entered the stage to the sound of loud boos. There were also claps from those in support of him.
Steil asked to start with the Pledge of Allegiance, which drew laughs from some attendees. At the line “Liberty and Justice for All” some audience members slowed down and raised their voices louder to emphasize that line.
The congressman followed that with a 15-minute overview of hot button topics in the U.S. House of Representatives, including changes to Medicaid and SNAP, tax code changes for families and border security.
As he presented a slide on border security, some in the audience responded with boos and shouts. Tim Bremel, the event’s moderator from WCLO Radio in Vlogý, and Steil tried to continue with the program.
“I know some of you have different views on this,” Steil said. “But, if we could, just keep it respectful between everybody here, OK?”
Some audience members were shouting “quit lying and start listening,” as the question and answer part of the program got underway.
The names of those who got to ask questions were randomly chosen from a box. Most of the questions revolved around immigration and ICE, climate and government regulations and funding cuts for programs like Medicare. Steil’s answers to the questions were at times difficult to hear over the audience that remained loud and often spoke over him.
Audience members continued to shout things like “tell the truth,” and on questions that dealt with immigration shouted as he tried to answer. “Where is the due process?” and “Where’s your heart, Bryan?” were some of the things called out.
Bremel attempted to rein in the crowd by reminding them of the limited time people have and how they should be respectful of others’ questions.
A business owner from Kenosha asked Steil about China dumping chemicals in the U.S. and Canada. He said the needed help figuring out how to handle the situation, as it was costing him money.
Steil said he would reach out to the U.S. trade representative on his behalf and asked him to exchange information with him afterwards.
Vivian Creekmore, from Milton, said she lives near Steil but never sees him around.
“I’m not here to listen to you, and most of us aren’t, because we know what you’re going to say ahead of time,” she said. “I’d like to remind you that you’re a pretty rich boy who has never missed a meal, always had a nice place to live, had great, great jobs, made a lot of money, and I can’t relate to that. You talked a lot and said not very much.”
One man shouted from the crowd “two million people in Gaza were starving, what do you have to say to that Bryan Steil?”
To which Bremel responded, “I have to say to that ‘shut up.’”
Later, when a woman asked Steil a similar question, the congressman responded by saying that Hamas should surrender the hostages to Israel. He said Israel has the right to defend itself.
This drew some audience members to shout “Free Palestine” and to boo, while some people also cheered.
At that point, Bremel announced the town hall was concluded, saying they were going to stop. Given the tenor of the audience there was no point in going on, he said.
