Chants of “Where’s Miller-Meeks?” “Tax the rich, fund the people,” and “Stand up, fight back” rang through the Pedestrian Mall Saturday afternoon as hundreds of Iowa City community members gathered for a town hall co-hosted by labor unions the American Federation of Government Employees and Iowa City Federation of Labor.

Jennifer Sherer, former president of the Iowa City Federation of Labor and organizer of the event, said she had originally reserved a 200-person room at the Iowa City Public Library for the town hall. However, when the room reached capacity 45 minutes before the scheduled start time, the event was moved outside to the Ped Mall.

“The interest was really, really high,” Sherer said. “People are looking for a place to have their voices heard.”

U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, did not attend Saturday’s town hall — something Sherer said was no surprise. She noted that the Iowa Federation of Labor has seen a consistent pattern from Miller-Meeks over the past month, as they have organized multiple events at various locations in support of federal employees and public service funding.

“In each of those instances, we have been reaching out to Representative Miller-Meeks’ office. People have asked her for meetings. People have held rallies in front of her office. We’ve delivered petition signatures,” Sherer said. “She does not respond directly to people’s concerns.”

Michael Cotton, a member of the American Federation of Government Employees and an employee of the Veterans Affairs office, said the concerns of himself and other VA workers have reached a boiling point under the administration of President Donald Trump.

“I’ve served under five different presidents and never has a president ever affected my daily work life until January 20,” Cotton said. “It was literally that day. We started getting emails, some of the most unprofessional emails I’ve ever seen.”

Cotton said the first communication his office received from the Trump administration was regarding cuts to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, or DEI, initiatives.

“I can tell you right now, we never even thought about DEI,” Cotton said. “It was just the way that we were working, treating people how they should be treated.”

Among the first orders of business from the current administration, Cotton said, was the removal of rights from transgender individuals, which he believes runs directly counter to the mission of the American Federation of Government Employees.

“We’re in a union. They hate unions. They hate us being unified,” Cotton said, referring to the Trump administration. “So, they keep bringing up things to try and separate us.”

In addition to working for the VA, Cotton said he is also an Army veteran, but the actions of the current administration — including threats to federal workers and the influence of billionaire Elon Musk — have left him feeling conflicted about his years of service.

“I look back on my time in the military, and I’m proud of that, but at the same time, it’s like, was I supporting the people who would eventually do this?” Cotton said.

Local leaders speak out

Toward the end of the town hall, Iowa City Mayor Pro Tem Mazahir Salih addressed the crowd to share how the Trump administration had personally affected her family. Salih explained her sister and nieces were among the thousands of refugees who had already been approved to come to the U.S. but were prevented from doing so after Trump suspended the refugee resettlement program just days after his inauguration.

“Their bags were packed,” Salih said. “They had everything ready to come.”

Salih said the news has been particularly difficult for her 18-year-old niece, who was excited about the access to education she would have in the U.S.

“She was very excited because fleeing from Sudan for the war, you don’t go to school,” Salih said.

While Salih said she was not surprised Miller-Meeks did not attend, it was disappointing, nonetheless.

“I’m here just to add my voice to the people,” Salih said. “We need our representative to represent all of us and to fight for us.”

Echoing this message was Iowa City City Councilor Shawn Harmsen who did not speak but attended the event due to his disappointment with how Congress, including Miller-Meeks, is responding to the Trump administration.

“Congress is supposed to be out there fighting for us. Not fighting for billionaires, not fighting for Donald Trump, not fighting for Elon Musk,” Harmsen said. “They’re supposed to be fighting for us.”

Emphasizing that Congress is meant to serve as a check on presidential power, Harmsen said he believes Miller-Meeks is doing a “horrible” job, and he expressed disgust that billionaires are receiving tax cuts while public services face funding cuts.

“[Miller-Meeks] is busy bragging about being part of DOGE, and she’s busy embarrassing herself chasing Trump after his speech, trying to get recognized when he totally blew her off,” Harmsen said. “That’s not the representation for the Iowa that I grew up in.”

Harmsen, as well as attendees who are federal workers, underscored that public officials take an oath to protect the Constitution, which they said should supersede loyalty to any president.

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“As a public official, I took the same oath to serve my community and to protect the Constitution,” Harmsen said. “I take that oath seriously, and it really makes me very sad when we have people in Congress who do not.”

Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan, who is also a delegate to the Iowa City Federation of Labor, was also in attendance. With Miller-Meeks not showing up to the town hall, Sullivan said he believes she is failing to deliver on her campaign promises.

“I’m thoroughly disappointed,” Sullivan said. “She talked a good game during her campaign about being bipartisan and caring what people think. It’s just obviously not true.” 

Community voices frustration

With University of Iowa students still on spring break, the crowd packing the Ped Mall was primarily composed of Iowa City community members, many of whom said they have personal stake in the actions of the federal government.

Tami Recker, a medical support assistant in the VA mental health clinic, said the impact of Trump’s administration is unprecedented in her 21-year career.

“I just think that it’s an aggressive attack on dismantling the VA like we’ve never seen before,” Recker said.

Recker noted that many VA employees are veterans themselves and share a deep sense of solidarity with the patients they serve — strengthened further by the VA’s strong workers’ union.

While unsurprised Miller-Meeks did not appear at the town hall, she hopes it will affect her chances of reelection.

“Iowans deserve better,” Recker said. “She seems to not be open to listening to what Iowans have to say, but our votes matter and we can vote as we wish in the future.”

Claire Black-Hanson, a retired public school teacher, was also in the crowd holding a sign that read, “Marianette is a Trump puppet.”

“She’s done everything that’s wrong, and she’s disappearing,” Black-Hanson said of Miller-Meeks. “We think she’s a puppet, and I don’t want her to get primaried because I just want to beat her in the election next time.”

Julie Eisele, a retired librarian and event attendee, said she feels Trump’s administration is undoing decades of progress in the U.S.

“Every day, the news is worse,” Eisele said. “It’s very frustrating.”

Eisele also expressed disappointment with Miller-Meeks’ performance as a representative and questioned her commitment to the district she serves.

“The things she does and the things she says don’t reflect the values of me or a lot of people I know,” Eisele said. “Doesn’t seem to care or take much input. I don’t even know if she lives in this district. She has an apartment in Davenport, but I don’t think she’s ever there.”

The town hall concluded around 4 p.m., and there were no counter-protestors.