Frustrated and furious voters packed a town hall over the weekend in West Allis, Wisconsin for Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Moore. They expressed concerns about federal cuts and the current state of the Democratic Party.
There was a sense of solidarity at the town hall in the solid Democratic congressional district when it came to concerns about President Donald Trump.
Watch: Frustrated Democrats pack Congressional town hall in West Allis:
Gwen Sheppard, a retired major and Iraq War veteran, is worried about her local Veterans Affairs (VA) facility.
"The VA is our home; it's not just a hospital," said Sheppard. "It is a place for healing."
She sees all the headlines about firings and job cuts at the VA and worries if funding will continue next year to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, known as the PACT Act.
"This PACT Act saves lives," said Sheppard.
Democrats say the funding was not included in a recent bill to avoid a government shutdown, but Rep. Moore believes it could be added back into the budget later this year.
"Watch what they do, not what they say," said Rep. Moore. "They say they're going to bring back this money, but that did not stop them from announcing they were going to fire 83,000 people from the VA."
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson was recently asked about proposed cuts during his tele-town hall and mentioned that the VA budget has increased from $200 billion in 2019 to $370 billion this year.
"What I can assure you is that taking care of our veterans has strong bipartisan support in both chambers," said Johnson.
Some attendees at Moore's listening session wanted to know why Democrats aren't pushing back more aggressively against Republicans and President Trump. At least one self-described "proud leftist" expressed disenchantment with the Democratic Party.
"Over time I have become disenfranchised with the Democratic Party," he said.
Recent polling shows the Democratic Party is facing record low approval ratings.
Democrats in the Senate, including Chuck Schumer, have come under sharp criticism within the party for helping Republicans pass the spending bill that gave Trump a victory in keeping the government running until a more permanent funding package is established.
In the House, only one Democrat voted for the bill, and it wasn't Moore.
"I work very hard with my one vote," said Moore. "I voted against this bill. I was prepared for the government to be shut down."
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