Greenfield, Missouri, hosted U.S Representative Mark Alford for an ice cream social on Monday. The local ice-cream shop, That Place, was one of four stops that day.
The week-long tour includes places near and in Congressional District 4, such as parts of Central and Southwest Missouri.
During his opening statement, Alford acknowledged that town halls have become increasingly contentious. But he still wants to meet his constituents.
"I don't mind a little heat. We're here to listen. We're here to serve and mainly to listen. That's what this, this town hall tour is about," said Alford.
Two women from Lafayette, Missouri, attended four town halls on the same day. One of the women, Rachel Wrenn, said she wanted to get Alford's attention.
"I want them to know things are really messed up right now, and I want him to take a stand and do his job and work for us," Wrenn said
Alford's most significant talking point was about preserving rural hospitals and healthcare under provisions in the 'Big Beautiful Bill'. He's worked with other Missouri U.S. Representatives to ensure the bill doesn't significantly impact rural healthcare. Sixteen of Missouri's 54 rural hospitals are in his congressional district.
"They're not going to get as much money coming into the rural hospitals, we're looking at ways that we can help offset some of that," explained Alford.
Greenfield is part of a rural region where 20% of all residents are on Medicaid, according to data from Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families. In response to this statistic, Alford said the government should offer services like Medicaid only to those who earn it.
According to Alford, this excludes "individuals between the ages of 19 and 65, who are able-bodied and are not willing to volunteer, do community service, or have a 20-hour per week job, or illegal aliens."
Southwest Missouri is 'cattle country.' The Missouri Department of Agriculture projects farm income to decline by $0.7 billion in the next few months. Alford said this is because of the former presidential administration."The Biden administration has caused the input cost to go up at such a level, mainly from its war on fossil fuels. That has really put a hardship on our farmers and produce," explained Alford.
Alford expressed the need to protect our farmers and said they are among the toughest working people in America.
Part of the 'Big Beautiful Bill' offers long-term certainty for farmers navigating rising input costs, volatile markets, and weather uncertainty – which Alford supports.
Missouri State Representative Ken Waller passed away at the age of 63 over the weekend. Alford offered his remarks despite not knowing Waller personally.
"Anytime I think of someone who's dedicated their time, resources, and time away from their family to serve the great state of Missouri. I think they deserve special tribute," he explained.
Since 2023, Alford has served in the U.S House of Representatives. He currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee and on the Small Business Committee as chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
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