MUSKOGEE, Okla. — U.S. Representative Josh Brecheen held his first town hall in months on Aug. 25, traveling across Green Country to discuss President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" amid tense exchanges with constituents.
The town hall marked Brecheen's return to public meetings after months of absence.
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Oklahoma House GOP Leader Mark Johnson had asked his party to avoid town halls in March, but Brecheen said he remained committed to continuing the events after hosting over 100 during his first term.
"We know those of us specifically on the Budget Committee, because of our involvement in one big, beautiful bill, we knew it was important to get the facts out," Brecheen said.
WATCH: Rep. Josh Brecheen faces heated questions at first town hall in months
The District 2 representative pointed the finger at the Democratic Party for the hault on town halls.
"And so we knew that they were going to try to make this set of town halls harder, but we want to make sure the second congressional district is not harmed by people trying to play partisan politics," Brecheen said.
During the meeting, Brecheen discussed how the Big Beautiful Bill will impact Oklahomans' tax brackets and Medicaid. However, tensions escalated during the question period when attendees raised concerns about Trump's executive orders.
The congressman faced disagreement and disruptions during the Muskogee meeting, where emotions flared when residents questioned him about various issues, including Trump's executive order sending the National Guard to Washington D.C.
Attendees expressed frustration with the format, particularly the limited time allocated for questions. Brecheen spoke for an hour before leaving for his next town hall in Wagoner, allowing only five people to ask questions.
"I didn't like that. It was stretched out so long, and it didn't leave very much time for questions at the end. And unfortunately, we weren't able to ask our pressing questions," Anna Stewart said.
Catherine White suggested extending future meetings, saying they should last "two hours, three or four hours, a little bit more time."
Melissa Mclain felt the congressman didn't adequately address constituents' concerns.
"I didn't feel like it was truly answering the questions what you're wanting to ask. It was kind of talking a little bit around the questions and around our concerns and not really pinpointing the issues," Mclain said.
Despite the criticism, Brecheen defended his approach to the meetings.
"I can say is, I'm doing everything I can to make sure my conscience is clear, knowing that I'm making the best decision based upon the information," Brecheen said.
The congressman has more stops along Oklahoma during the week of August 25-28, 2025:
Monday, August 25:
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Bartlesville Town Hall Tri County Tech Event Center 6101 Nowata Rd. Bartlesville, OK 74006
Tuesday, August 26:
8:00am - 9:00am
Nowata Town Hall Nowata City/County Library West Room 224 S. Pine St. Nowata, OK 74048
10:00am - 11:00am
Vinita Town Hall Craig County Fairgrounds & Community Center Ketchum Room 915 E. Apperson Rd. Vinita, OK 74301
12:00pm -1:00pm
Miami Town Hall Miami Civic Center Banquet Room 129 5th Ave. NW Miami, OK 74354
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Grove Town Hall Grove Community Center Room 7 104 West 3rd Street Grove, OK 74344
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Pryor Town Hall Graham Community Center 6 N. Adair Street Pryor, OK 74361
Wednesday, August 27:
9:00am - 10:00am
Okmulgee Town Hall Okmulgee American Legion Post 10 730 W. 6th St. Okmulgee, OK 74447
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Claremore Town Hall Claremore Conference Center Will Rogers South Ballroom 1400 W. Country Club Rd. Claremore, OK 74017
2:30pm - 3:30pm
Tahlequah Town Hall Tahlequah Public Library Carnegie Room 120 S. College Ave. Tahlequah, OK 74464
4:30pm - 5:30pm
Stilwell Town Hall Adair County Historical Museum & Train Depot 83065 Highway 59 Stilwell, OK 74960
6:30pm - 7:30pm
Sallisaw Town Hall Wheeler Event Center 103 N. Wheeler Ave. Sallisaw, OK 74955
Thursday, August 28:
8:00am - 9:00am
Poteau Town Hall Donald W. Reynolds Community Center 105 Reynolds Ave. Poteau, OK 74953
12:00pm - 1:00pm Idabel Town Hall Museum of the Red River Mary H. Herron Community Conference Center 812 E. Lincoln Rd. Idabel, OK 74745
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Hugo Town Hall Choctaw County Public Library 703 E. Jackson St. Hugo, OK 74743
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Atoka Town Hall Atoka County Library 279 E. A St. Atoka, OK 74525
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Durant Town Hall Bryan County Fairgrounds Clay Jones Community Center 1901 S. 9th Ave. Durant, OK 74701
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