WESTFIELD, Ind. (CN) — A raucous crowd booed U.S. Representative Victoria Spartz throughout a two-hour town hall meeting in an Indiana suburb on Friday as the Republican congresswoman defended the sweeping funding cuts made by the Trump administration.
“If you just came here to scream, then we will be unable to have a conversation right,” Spartz said. “I want you to hear, you might not like what I have to say but I thought you would like it, I thought you would like it.”
For much of the meeting, Spartz fielded questions ranging from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the governmental cuts enacted by the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency, which she said had found “true fraud, waste and abuse.”
But she was interrupted by the crowd repeatedly booing mentions of DOGE — the Elon Musk-headed organization that has spearheaded funding cuts for government agencies, to much pushback — sparking Spartz to say, “I can obviously tell you don’t like DOGE here.”
“This used to be a very bipartisan issue,” she added.
Protestors outside the meeting held at the IMMI Conference Center chanted “Do your job” — a refrain that attendees inside the venue later echoed after a question about what Republicans are doing in the face of Trump’s barrage of executive orders.
In the later portion of the meeting, an attendee staged a walk out, though many stayed to continue jeering the lawmaker.
Josh Lowry, Chair of the Hamilton County Democrats, stood with protestors outside the venue and had strong words for Spartz regarding DOGE’s actions.
“Look, for the Hamilton County voters, some of us did not vote for Victoria Spartz, but those that did expect her to represent us, and not to bow down and let Elon Musk get rid of every VA benefit, Medicare, Medicaid, public education,” said Lowry. “Everything she’s supposed to be protecting for Hoosiers that Elon Musk is just chopping. We expect her to stand up for us and not just Republicans.”
The Ukrainian-born congresswoman also voiced support for NATO after being asked a question about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
“I’ve always been a supporter of NATO. It’s an important institution, for the security of Europe,” Spartz said. “We need to make sure Europeans do better too.”
She also expressed that she would not support a blank check to anyone, and that, “we need to know where the money are spent.”
Spartz represents Indiana’s Fifth Congressional District and won re-election in 2024 with 56.6% of the vote defeating Democrat Deborah Pickett. Initially, she announced that she would not seek re-election, but later changing her mind to go for a third term.
Friday’s event is not the only planned stop for Spartz, who plans to host another town hall meeting at Muncie City Hall from 11 a.m. to 1.p.m., on Saturday, March 29.
Spartz’s town halls may now be something of a rarity among her party — House Speaker Mike Johnson has instructed Republican leaders to not to hold in-person town halls in the face of strong public backlash from even their own voters. Following the move, some prominent national Democrats have begun holding town halls and rallies in these Republican-held districts.
Kristen Wells contributed to this story.