GOP Lawmaker Who Ousted Liz Cheney Says It's 'Bizarre' How 'Obsessed' People Are with Government at Explosive Town Hall

Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman faced an angry crowd at a local town hall on Wednesday, March 19, marking one of several recent incidents where constituents have confronted Republican members of Congress about the Trump administration's aggressive actions.

Hageman — who ousted incumbent Liz Cheney in a landslide victory in the 2022 election for the state’s only congressional district — laughed aloud during the public event as a crowd of frustrated Wyomingites booed her praise for President Donald Trump and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.

“I voted in favor of the continuing resolution, or CR, which extends funding for the fiscal year until September 30,” Hageman said, prompting the booing to begin. “It keeps the lights on for President Trump and DOGE to continue their work.”

A local reporter with the Cowboy State Daily estimated that about three-quarters of the crowd of more than 500 attendees at the Laramie Plains Civic Center were there to protest Hageman. 

The sophomore congresswoman ran in 2022 with the support of Trump, following Cheney’s work as vice chair of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

At times, Wednesday’s crowd devolved into chants of “Tax the rich!” and “January 6th!”'

But some of the loudest reactions of the night came when the congresswoman mentioned DOGE and Musk’s threats to cut Social Security.

Attempting to ignore the ruckus, Hageman told the crowd, “During the continuing resolution, we are not allowed to touch Social Security, so I would request that you actually watch some accurate TV and read valid news, because that is untrue.”

“It’s so bizarre to me how obsessed you are with federal government," she added.

Despite Trump’s repeated 2024 campaign promise to not cut “one penny” from Social Security, since taking office he’s referred to the government aid as a ”scam,” while Musk recently called it a “Ponzi scheme.”

“There’s a massive amount of fraud of, basically, people submitting Social Security numbers for Social Security benefits, unemployment, Small Business Administration loans and medical care,” Musk said in Fox Business interview on March 10. “We’re trying to put a stop to all of that.”

The changing rhetoric on Social Security seemingly fueled the frustration toward Hageman for supporting Congress' new funding plan, which has been criticized for giving Trump and Musk more power over the federal budget.

Reacting to her crowd's anger, Hageman said, “You guys are going to have a heart attack if you don't calm down. I'm sorry, your hysteria is just really over the top."

Wyoming residents aren’t the only people to get worked up about Musk’s influence on the current administration.

House Republicans around the nation have faced aggressive pushback at numerous public appearances recently, to the point that a national GOP official urged them to stop hosting in-person town halls for fear of the optics, The New York Times reported in early March.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.

Last week, Connecticut Rep. John Larson had a heated exchange with his Republican colleagues on the House Ways and Means Committee, berating them for blocking the unelected billionaire’s testimony on Social Security cuts.

“Where’s the independence of the committee?” he yelled. “Where’s the legislature? We’re an equal branch of government.”

Even “shame” couldn’t bring Trump and Musk’s supporters to be honest about their true plans, Larson claimed.

“[Musk has] been on television the last couple of days talking exactly about Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and what he intends to do: privatize it,” he continued. “The American people, some of them may have been born at night, but not last night.”