A room full of constituents came to a town hall Tuesday night in Tyler, hoping to gain insight from U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran. Instead, some left feeling disappointed — not only by what many said was a lack of answers, but by the way their neighbors acted.
“Regardless of my political views, the yelling and the screaming is not going to get us anywhere,” attendee Amy Evans-Gean said. “I do disagree with some of what (Moran) says, but I also know we’re not going to accomplish anything if we’re yelling over each other and can’t even hear.”
About 100 people gathered at the town hall, hosted by Grassroots America at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, to ask questions and hear updates from Moran (R-Tyler) on his work in Congress. But from the very start, tensions were high. People shouted over one another and interrupted the congressman, creating a chaotic atmosphere.
Evans-Gean and her colleague Lisa Pastore came with questions about how potential funding cuts from DOGE might affect their nonprofit, which helps adults with disabilities. They asked about the Administration for Community Living (ACL), a federal program that supports aging and disabled individuals.
Moran said he wasn’t familiar with the ACL program and couldn’t answer on the spot. Before the two women left early, Moran’s team approached them and promised to follow up and learn more about the programs they asked about.
Rep. Nathaniel Moran addresses a packed crowd during Tuesday night’s town hall at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Tyler. (Katecey Harrell/ Tyler Morning Telegraph)
At the beginning of the town hall, Moran attempted to start a slideshow presentation, but attendees quickly forced it to a halt, demanding he go straight into answering their questions. Pastore, who leans conservative, said she was actually interested in seeing the full presentation.
Her nonprofit helps clients manage their Social Security disability payments, using the funds to pay for rent, utilities, food and other essentials. She said she heard Moran mention Social Security and Medicaid but couldn’t make sense of the details due to the noise from shouting attendees.
Evans-Gean said a lot of the concerns were national in scope, and they were hoping to talk about what’s affecting people on a local level.
Moran said after the town hall that he answered questions on foreign policy, trade, tariffs, DOGE and Social Security.
“Why? Because it’s important to them,” Moran said.
But not everyone felt heard.
“I’m all for free speech and different opinions,” Evans-Gean said. “But this was chaos. We’re not going to get anywhere as a country if we keep attacking each other.”
Max Stewart, a Tyler resident and candidate for Tyler City Council, shared similar thoughts, saying it was unfortunate because attendees had such great access to Moran during the town hall.
“They could have used their time to work on things moving forward, instead of creating chaos,” Stewart said.
Pastore said the noise affected her personally. She lives with a hidden disability and said the arguing was overwhelming, although she managed to stay for most of the event.
Attendees react as tensions rise during the town hall meeting with U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran. (Katecey Harrell/ Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Moran said he expected strong emotions at the event. He pointed out that many members of Congress aren’t doing in-person town halls anymore, but he believes it’s his responsibility to show up, be transparent and answer questions.
When asked how the event went, Moran said he hoped for more meaningful conversations. “Some folks who showed up tonight really just wanted to scream and yell,” he said. “There was a portion of the group that showed up tonight that really wanted, sincerely, to hear answers and to have a dialog. That’s what I wanted too was a constructive dialogue.”
David Stein, Smith County Republican Party Chairman, was in attendance and said he was not prepared for the behavior he witnessed Tuesday. He called it “total disrespect for another human being.”
“Whether you agree or disagree with another individual’s views, the constant shouting, repeating the same comments over and over with no observable purpose other than to disrupt, was consistent with things I’ve seen in areas of the country, but nothing like this in Smith County,” Stein said.
Stein said he stands with Moran, and applauded the congressman for his response to the “constant heckling,” in addition to the response by Grassroots America We the People Executive Director JoAnn Fleming.
Stein said he denounces this type of behavior from any political group, no matter their beliefs.
“It’s not how we do things here in Smith County,” he said.
Some attendees at the town hall held signs that said ‘FALSE’ and ‘LIE’ and held them up as Moran spoke. Outbursts were heard throughout the event, such as when Moran mentioned an act he is working on that would defund Planned Parenthood.
As some booed Moran, one attendee yelled, “We didn’t elect you,” to which Moran responded “then you must be in the wrong place.”
Moran said he was clear on his stance of being pro-life his entire campaign prior to being elected.
“The interesting thing about differences is I certainly respect the fact that you may have a difference of opinion but I have a firmly held moral belief that life begins at conception,” he added.
As the chaos continued, Moran told the crowd he has “friends on both sides of the aisle” in Washington D.C. who disagree with his views but are able to have productive, “civil” discussions about issues.
Constituents at the event had the opportunity to write down a question on a notecard and turn it into organizers for Moran to answer. Fleming read the questions from the cards as Moran answered them, speaking over shouting in many cases.
Moran’s office has informed local media that the congressman will be holding budget workshops in East Texas, including May 1 in Tyler and May 2 in Longview. Times and locations are still being finalized. Moran will be joined by the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan organization.
Moran has hosted in-person town halls, roundtables and public forums across the district. Since August, he has held more than 20 in-person events on topics including national security, finance and technology, according to his office. Since taking office, Moran has held 15 tele-townhalls and holds them nearly every month. An average of 6,000 people attended each call. Moran also encourages residents to sign up for his weekly email newsletter, which is distributed to more than 25,000 people.
For more information or to ask questions, visit moran.house.gov/contact or call Moran’s office at 202-225-3035.
