Jerry Moran snuck into Great Bend last Tuesday to visit Barton Community College. It isn’t unusual for senators to visit small audiences at the college, the hospital, or major manufacturers, among others. Normally the Great Bend Tribune is told about the visits well in advance so the elected official can get some free publicity and show the public that they’re here. This time, the Tribune was notified 30 minutes before the scheduled visit. When the aide who called was asked why we were just hearing about it, she did not have an answer.
During a recent visit to Wichita, Moran experienced people showing up to voice their displeasure with Congress.
Sen. Roger Marshall had a similar experience at Oakley where a crowd showed up, some applauding, others shouting questions or booing while pressing him about DOGE cuts and more. Marshall left that town hall meeting early. At first he shared President Trump’s claim that people were being paid to show up at town halls and start trouble. Marshall later had to admit there was no evidence of that.
It’s true that it wasn’t just the usual Oakley crowd. Kansans drove for hours to be there.
Our senators need to get used to seeing more people at town halls, as long as they don’t shroud them in secrecy. It doesn’t take paid outside agitators to gather a crowd; voters are spreading the word like a church prayer chain and forming carpools to travel to as many venues as they can.
They want Congress to know that they are concerned about potential cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. They are concerned about cuts to programs such as USAID, NOAA, USDA and SNAP, among others. They are concerned about cutting federal employees – including veterans – in a haphazard fashion that places in jeopardy our air travel, our veterans services, our national parks, our school funding. They are worried about a trade war caused by tariffs that are jacking up prices, limiting producers’ markets, and (by constantly shifting) causing economic uncertainty. They are worried about Elon Musk.
Maybe they are concerned about our representatives in Congress not standing up for Ukraine, not pushing against a mass deportation effort that isn’t always concerned about the law, or not blocking the confirmation of vaccine denier Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. For multiple reasons, town halls are getting lively.
Even if they make our elected officials uncomfortable, we need more town halls. Closer to home, we need to see the public “legislative coffees” return. Instead, on April 2 we have the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce and Kansas Gas Service sponsoring a “members only” gathering called Pints & Politics from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Dry Lake Brewing. We’re told members of Congress will send their representatives. Also invited are: Great Bend City Council, Barton County Commissioners, USD 428 Board of Education, Barton Community College Board of Trustees, Kansas state legislators and members of the area Federal delegation.
Not invited: You — unless you’re a member of the Chamber or a guest.
