Congressman Jim Bridenstine Addresses Boisterous Crowd At Tulsa Town Hall

Congressman Jim Bridenstine was in Tulsa Tuesday night, hosting a town hall meeting.

The congressman kept his opening remarks to a minimum to give the audience as much time as possible to talk about their fears and concerns - and there was no shortage of concerns voiced.

The public was engaged - yelling, protesting, cheering and standing.

"These are challenging times, and I feel like it's my obligation as a member of Congress to engage the public and be responsive," Bridenstine said Tuesday night.

The night's first topic was improving health care for all Oklahomans.

"People on both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats, acknowledge that it's not working here in Oklahoma," he said.

But the response didn't go over well.

"Let's ask the veterans real quick how good single-payer is working at the VA," Bridenstine said to a booing crowd. "I'm seeing a bunch of veterans giving us a thumbs down."

Bridenstine is part of the Republican Freedom Caucus – which has been partially to blame for President Donald Trump’s failure to pass health care reform.

Next on the agenda was the White House’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin; Bridenstine said he doubts the allegations.

And, of course, another topic that came up was the attack on Syria – something Bridenstine voiced his full support.

“These kinds of atrocities cannot continue to happen without a swift and very clear response as a deterrent for more of these atrocities," he said. "I think the president is sending a very strong signal and it is long overdue."

Even with all the unrest in the room, Bridenstine said the ability to have an open discussion is one of the things that makes America great.