North Carolina Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards was confronted by angry constituents during a town hall meeting on Thursday night about President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s sweeping cuts across the federal government.
“How do you justify cuts to staff of the VA helping veterans, especially those with long-term care needs?” asked one constituent, who was met with a standing ovation from the raucous crowd in Asheville, North Carolina.
“So, first of all, there have been no cuts to the staff at VA as of this point. Like him or not, Elon Musk has brought a lot of really smart people,” Edwards responded as the crowd booed. Earlier this month, an internal VA memo indicated that the agency was preparing to lay off 80,000 from its workforce.
The scene turned so contentious and hostile that security had to escort Edwards from the building.
“You don’t get to do this to us,” yelled another constituent.
Republican leadership has told their members to avoid in-person town halls after several members were grilled in their home districts.
Edwards, however, went against their advice on Thursday.
A man shouts at Rep. Chuck Edwards during a congressional town hall meeting on March 13, 2025 in Asheville, North Carolina. The event comes as Republicans have faced protestors at town halls critical of the Trump administration slashing federal jobs.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
“”You see a lot of advice in Washington, D.C. from different folks saying, you know, ‘Republicans shouldn’t be out there doing town halls,’ and I’m thinking ‘Why not?’ I love the people,” said Edwards, before he left.
“I trust the people. Do I agree with everything? Do they agree to give me about everything? Absolutely not. But why do we shy away from those conversations?” he added.
“The time is now to fix how Washington works. To that end, I was proud to vote recently for the House budget resolution,” he said, interrupted by boos and yells of “traitor.”
“And you wonder why folks don’t want to do these town halls,” he said.
The Trump administration is pushing forward with sweeping cuts with thousands of workers already having been laid off across the federal workforce, including Veteran Affairs, the IRS and the Department of Education.
Musk has sparked controversy by suggesting that entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security could be cut.
“The waste and fraud in entitlement spending, which is all of the, which is most of the federal spending is entitlements, so that’s like the big one to eliminate,” Musk said in an interview on Fox.
That has left some voters very concerned, with Edwards taking the brunt end of the attacks Thursday night.
“What are you doing to ensure the protection of our Social Security benefits,” asked on constituent to a round of applause.
“I’m not going to vote to dissolve your Social Security. I’m not looking to disrupt Social Security at all,” Edwards replied.