KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.
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A meet-and-greet style event Monday morning with U.S. Rep. Mark Alford turned into a back-and-forth debate with voters upset with President Donald Trump’s policies.
More than 40 people packed into Random’s Coffee in Belton, and an overflow crowd of more than 60 people stood outside.
Usually, only 15 to 30 people participate in Alford’s “Mondays with Mark” meetings.
Alford spent 90 minutes answering questions people wrote on index cards from a podium with a speaker; although, people outside the coffee shop couldn’t hear much.
“I heard a lot of booing,” said Allie Teagarden, who traveled from Columbia, Missouri, to attend the event.
The crowd inside the coffee shop groaned and booed after nearly each of Alford’s answers.
Questions ranged from cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, laying off federal employees, the war in Ukraine, immigration policies and the Gulf of America.
Elon Musk and the new Department of Government Efficiency became a repeated topic.
“Whether you like it or not, Elon Musk does have a security clearance,” Alford told the crowd.
People in the crowd came from Columbia, Clinton, Warsaw and the other far reaches of Alford’s congressional district. Some people even traveled from Kansas and places outside the district.
“We’re hard-working federal employees that make this government run every single day, and we’re being discounted by those in Washington, claiming we are the swamp, and the fraud, waste and abuse,” said Rebecca Reinholdt, vice president of the Leavenworth Veterans Administration’s American Federation of Government Employees union.
Alford told federal employees who’ve lost their jobs that “God has a plan” for them.
“You are not a victim, you are a victor,” Alford said. “And you will be able to get another job and provide for yourself and your family. I’m confident of that.”
Daniel Scharpenburg is vice president of NTEU Local 66, which represents IRS employees. He said about 100 workers lost their jobs last week in Kansas City.
“We don’t need thoughts and prayers,” Scharpenburg said. “We need people to stand up for us and to say, 'I’m not going to carry the party line.' What’s going on, it’s not OK. Elon Musk is not the president.”
Alford’s answers carried the party line, which only antagonized the crowd. He told people to be patient.
“Look, I think you’re living in the greatest time in American history,” he said. “Let’s meet back here six months from now, and I think you’ll see a dramatic turnaround. There’s a lot of resistance right now because people are scared and fearful, and people don’t like change.”
Alford’s team said it’s looking at larger venues for the next “Mondays with Mark” event. There's no date currently set for that event.
