Kathleen Gray

Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

NOVI — Despite heavy snowfall and treacherous roads, nearly 1,000 people — many angry and ready for a confrontation — came to a town hall meeting in Novi this morning to badger, boo and challenge U.S. Rep. David Trott in person.

Many had already participated in protests at his office in Troy or written repeated letters and e-mails to express their anger over the policies of President Donald Trump and Trott’s support of some of those policies. Their entreaties over the past months, for the most part, have gone unanswered, they said.

So when Trott, a Birmingham Republican, showed up in person they were ready with red and green index cards to express their support or displeasure with what was being said, their very loud shouts of protest and props — both signs and photos — to illustrate their point of view.

“I’ve called. I’ve showed up and tried to make appointments and it’s always, we’ll get back to you,” said Amber Barbieri, a 35-year-old from Troy who stood throughout the hour-long town hall meeting holding aloft a picture of her 6-year-old son Julius, who has Type 1 diabetes.

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She showed up Saturday to try to get Trott to pledge to really delve into the replacement for the Affordable Care Act and make sure that insurance companies don’t discriminate against clients with pre-existing conditions or charge them more for their insurance. She didn’t get what she came for.

“I think this was a joke. I don’t think anything was accomplished with this,” Barbieri said after the town hall meeting.

The town hall came after constituents have been trying to confront Trott since January with protests outside his Troy office, town hall meetings organized by activist groups within the district and mass letter writing campaigns. They are scenes that are playing out across the nation as new and old activists react to the presidency of Trump.

Some members of Congress have resisted attending town hall meetings, so when they do happen, the frustration bubbles over. Trott’s town hall, his first this year, attracted 450 people inside and hundreds more outside the Suburban Collection Showplace who couldn’t get in. It was interrupted so often with angry chants — “Shame on you,” “Vote him out,” “Trumpcare,” and others — that his answers to questions submitted by audience members were often drowned out by the crowd.

Most of the people at the meeting weren’t interested in the new American Health Care Act. They wanted the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, preserved. They leaped to their feet in anger when Trott called it a disaster in a death spiral that will be greatly improved by the tax credits and health savings accounts offered through the replacement offered by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Trumpcare is just so awful. It will leave so many people without any health care at all,” said Wendy Appleton of Bloomfield Township.

Trott said he supported keeping the clauses which require coverage for pre-existing conditions and allowing children to stay on their parents’ insurance till the age of 26. But he also said he doesn’t believe the bill in the House will survive intact.

“This whole discussion is very fluid, I don’t believe the bill in front of us can pass the Senate,” he said.

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Some of Trott's answers brought especially loud responses, such as when he mentioned U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, a west Michigan native and serious proponent of school choice and vouchers, or when he said that cuts did need to be made to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“There is a lot in the budget that I don’t agree with, like the cuts for Meals on Wheels,” he said. “But on the EPA, I think cuts are appropriate. ... Here’s the problem with the EPA, (former President Barack) Obama was so extreme with regulations at the EPA that even (Federal Reserve Board chairwoman) Janet Yellin admitted that the onerous regulations have impaired the economy.”

There were some areas of agreement between the crowd and Trott: He said that he would support a resolution for Trump to release his tax returns if a stand-alone resolution were offered; that some of Trump’s tweets, especially on foreign policy, were unproductive, and that there should be consequences if House and Senate investigations show Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

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On other issues, such as immigration policies and expected changes to the Dodd Frank bill that more tightly regulates Wall Street and banks, the divide was wide.

And some in the crowd said they feared the meeting didn’t change many minds and won’t result in more open communications with their representative in Congress.

“They’re not taking meetings with us. His door is locked and the sign on the door says by appointment only and you can’t get an appointment,” said Ly Nguyen, a Birmingham resident who fears losing her insurance coverage provided by the Affordable Care Act. “I call his office every day on issues and have tried to make appointments at least five times and it never happens.”

The town hall, however, did allow Trott to see the frustration of his constituents, Appleton said. “And this will let his constituents know where he’s at and what he really believes.”

After the event, Trott spokesperson Katie Vincentz said in an e-mail: "We're not always going to agree and this is the beauty of our system. This is democracy at work and Congressman Trott always welcomes input from all of his constituents."

Town hall replay:

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepreess.com or on Twitter @michpoligal