US Congressman Mike Flood faced a torrent of boos and jeers as he spoke to town hall attendees in his Nebraska district on May 27, one of the first held nationwide as House GOP leaders return home after passing PresidentDonald Trump'ssweeping tax policy bill. "I thought your party wanted to reduce the deficit," one constituent questioned in writing about the bill, which would add an estimated $3.8 trillion to the deficit. "What in the world?" Another attendee said Flood, R-Nebraska, had previously claimed he wouldn't vote for a bill that cuts Social Security and Medicare, but the GOP bill now maytrigger mandatory budget reductionsthat could impact Medicare. "You either lied to us or you have been bullied into voting against our health care," she said. An audience member who identified themselves as a para-educator raised concerns that theschool voucher programincluded in the GOP bill would pull money from public schools and hurt children with learning disabilities. They asked: "How is that an equitable school choice for my child?" Unlike in previous town halls – which have grabbed headlines as attendees protested the Trump administration's rapidtransformation of the federal government– Flood's crowd had Congress in its sights. Just before House members left for their week-long recess, they passeda massive billthat would have major impacts for Americans' pocketbooks, their benefit systems for healthcare and food support, access to renewable energy and more. The bill will next beconsidered in the Senate, where it is expected to be tweaked before going back to the House and then the president's desk. Flood, who is the vice-chair of the pragmatic Main Street Caucus in the House GOP, is among the members holding in-person forums afterRepublican leaders advisedin March that they switch to virtual or telephone town halls after early in-person meetings were flooded with protesters. Flood opened the meeting by shaking hands with each attendee as they came in and noting that they are "all Nebraskans." "I don't think one of you is here because you're getting paid. I don't think one of you is here because you were trucked in," he said, a reference to a common refrain from some Republican members that angry crowds at town halls across the country are Democratic "paid protesters." Liberal groups such asIndivisiblehave promoted and encouraged their members to go to congressional town halls, but there is no evidence that attendees are being paid. Flood extended the one-hour town hall by an extra 30 minutes, fielding questions on the proposed changes to Medicaid and food stamps; the impact on schools, hospitals, children and people with disabilities; the effects of tax cuts and the increased deficit and more. The National Republican Congressional Committee, House Republican's campaign arm,has advised membersto "go on offense" on the new bill and tout the party's efforts to keep undocumented people off of benefit programs, cut taxes, and secure the southern border. Flood defended the legislation as necessary to avoid a tax increase at the end of the year, when the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires, and thechanges to Medicaidas reasonable reforms that will help protect benefits for deserving recipients in the long term. "Our unemployment is so low that anybody that can work is most likely working," he said, arguing that the new work requirements for able-bodied adults without children are unlikely to have a big impact on the state. The proposed reforms, which also include more eligibility checks andseveral other changes, are expected to save more than $625 billion and cause 7.6 million Americans to lose their health insurance over the next 10 years. Flood said that he didn't know about one section of the bill that would make itharder for federal judges to hold people in contempt, which may shield Trump and other administration officials who choose to violate court orders, and pledged to work with the Senate to change it. "I do not agree with that section that was added to that bill," Flood said, and the room exploded in jeers. "I believe in the rule of law... I do believe that the federal district courts, when issuing an injunction, it should have legal effect." Flood also pushed back on attendees who suggested that he and other Republicans in Congress are unwilling to break with Trump and are ceding their authority to the executive branch. "It is incumbent upon members of Congress like me to be aware of what's going on and to be vocal about it, and I am working on doing that," he said. "I am hearing you. I think what you're saying is important, and I think it's something that binds us together." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Boos, jeers at Nebraska GOP town hall over Trump's tax bill