Republican Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks was repeatedly met with boos and jeers from her own constituents as she held a rare public town hall.
Miller-Meeks, 70, faced a hostile crowd in Keosauqua on Monday as she attempted to answer questions on topics ranging from the economy and healthcare costs to immigration during what was her first in-person town hall of the year.
Videos recorded by The Gazette show one attendee being forcibly removed by security after becoming irate over Miller-Meeks’ response to a question about SNAP benefit cuts. The man, who was wearing a red cap, also accused her of only taking pre-screened questions and avoiding tougher ones.
During the event, Miller-Meeks was also loudly booed after defending ICE officers by saying they “are doing their job to deport criminal illegal immigrants.”
Taylor Wettach, a Democratic lawyer who is seeking to unseat Miller-Meeks in the 2026 midterms, was escorted out of the building during the event while chanting, “Vote her out!”
Miller-Meeks is the latest in the long line of Republican lawmakers to face intense backlash during public town halls.
For months, voters have used the events to voice frustration over issues ranging from proposed Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s new spending bill to fears that healthcare costs will sharply rise for tens of millions of Americans as the ongoing government shutdown looks set to end without any concrete plans to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies.
The backlash has grown so severe that GOP House leaders earlier this year advised lawmakers to avoid in-person town halls altogether, NBC News reported.
Miller-Meeks appeared to take the advice to heart, reportedly telling Iowa Republicans in August that she would only hold another public town hall “when hell freezes over.”
Instead, she has opted to speak to constituents through telephone town halls until Monday’s heated event in Keosauqua.
Mike Mallon, 59, said he drove more than two hours to attend the town hall and was left unimpressed. Mallon took particular issue with the lawmaker spouting disputed claims that undocumented immigrants were receiving federally funded public health insurance programs.
“It was just a lot more talking points—basically her social media played out in real time,” Mallon told The Gazette. “She just needed to check the box and say she had a town hall.”
The Daily Beast has contacted Miller-Meeks for comment.
