The day after House Republicans yanked their bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, Rep. John Culberson (R-TX) faced a loud, angry crowd back home in Texas.
During a town hall event on Saturday, hundreds of constituents packed into a middle school auditorium for an hour and a half, asking Culberson about Republicans’ health care agenda and President Donald Trump.
“You know what, folks? I’m either going to answer the question, or we’re just going to spend the time yelling,” Culberson told the raucous crowd at one point, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The congressman told attendees that even though Republicans failed to pass the American Health Care Act, he was still committed to repealing and replacing Obamacare.
“The only way to fix it is to replace it,” he said as some members of the crowd chanted, “Fix it,” according to the Texas Tribune.
Culberson was also asked about Trump’s proposed cuts to the State Department. Culberson said he did not support the cuts as the crowd chanted, “Yes or no,” per the Texas Tribune.
“I just answered,” he said as the crowd continued to chant, according to the publuication. “The answer is no. … I’ll work hard to protect the Department of State.”
He also said he would support funding for the National Institutes for Health and the National Endowment for the Arts, per the Texas Tribune. He told the crowd that he would support funding for public broadcasting in the short term, but that those programs should “ultimately” be self-supporting, which was met with boos from the crowd, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Culberson was also met with jeers when he said it is “up to the President” whether he releases his tax returns, according to KHOU.
Watch clips from the town hall via KHOU:
