GOP congressman faces criticism and several boos at Georgia town hall [View all]

Source: CNN Politics

Updated 8:47 AM EST, Fri February 21, 2025


CNN — A Republican congressman from Georgia faced some tough criticism and occasional boos from constituents Thursday night as he fielded questions about the Trump administration’s early actions. GOP Rep. Rich McCormick, who represents the state’s 7th Congressional District, was speaking at an event in Roswell, Georgia. At one point, he was pointedly asked about the firings of hundreds of workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is based in Atlanta: “Why is a supposedly conservative party taking such a radical and extremist and sloppy approach to this?”

“I’m in close contact with the CDC. They have about what, 13,000 employees, 13,000 employees at the CDC. In the last couple years, those probationary people, which is about 10% of their employee base, about 1,300 people, which you’re referring to. A lot of the work they do is duplicitous with AI,” McCormick said. The mention of AI led to “no’s” and murmurs from the crowd, leading the Republican representative to say, “I happen to be a doctor. I know a few things.”

McCormick, who was first elected to Congress in 2022, also answered pointed questions about President Donald Trump’s executive power and the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy as Health and Human Services secretary. “Tyranny is rising in the White House, and a man has declared himself our king. So, I would like to know rather, the people would like to know, what you, congressman, and your fellow congressmen are going to do to rein in the megalomaniac in the White House?” one person asked, resulting in loud cheers and a standing ovation from several people in the room.

“When you talk about tyranny, when you talk about presidential power, I remember having the same discussion with Republicans when (former President Joe) Biden was elected,” McCormick answered, leading to boos from the crowd over the comparison. “The funny thing is you’re sitting here, and if a lot of you would probably say those January 6ers who are yelling just as loud as you, who are upset just like you and not listening, not listening. So yelling at me is not going to get any answers, OK?” The congressman repeatedly had to tell the crowd throughout the town hall to stop yelling and attempted to calm them down at several points.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/21/politics/rich-mccormick-georgia-trump/index.html