Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., faced down angry constituents and shouting matches that threatened to derail his town hall near the nation’s capitol on Tuesday.
Footage from the event shows one constituent from Prince George’s County yelling at the congressman to “fight” and “show some of the backbone and strategic brilliance that Mitch McConnell would have in the minority.”
“We want you to show fight, and you are not fighting,” the man shouted, going on to say that federal employees feel abandoned by Democratic lawmakers in the wake of Republicans successfully passing their budget bill earlier in March.
“Yeah I agree. I think your point about the vote on the [budget] is right,” Ivey responded before being cut off by another shouting constituent.
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The woman screamed for several seconds before Ivey attempted to interject: “He just asked me about this. I’m going to answer his question…You will get a turn.”
“You’re too calm. You are too calm,” the woman screamed back. “Where is your fight, then? Where is your fight?”
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Ivey repeats that he will answer the first man’s question, insisting that the woman “can stay here and yell as long as you want.”
“No! No! Nooooooooooooooooo!” the woman can be heard screaming.
The congressman then continues to speak over her and say that she must get in line to ask a question until she ultimately leaves the venue.
The event was emblematic of the frustration that exists at all levels of the Democratic Party as Republicans control the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Ivey himself lashed out at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier in the town hall.
“I was deeply disappointed that Senator Schumer voted with the Republicans. You know, you’re on bad ground when you get a personal tweet from Donald Trump thanking you for your vote, right. We don’t want to be there. We don’t want to be there,” Ivey said.
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“Hakeem [Jeffries] met the moment. Schumer did not. And so I respect Chuck Schumer. I think he’s had a great, long-standing career. He’s done a lot of great things, but I’m afraid that it may be time for the Senate Democrats to pick new leadership as we move forward,” the lawmaker added to applause.
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