Dem Rep. Jahana Hayes Had Time For Mike Lawler

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) learned the hard way not to interrupt Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) when she is making a point. During a televised CNN town hall event, things got testy when the topic of discussion shifted to Elon Musk and DOGE’s (Department of Government Efficiency) cuts to federal agencies to stop what they deem as waste and fraud. Hayes didn’t bite her tongue about Elon Musk after Lawler dared to defend Musk and DOGE’s actions, leading to a tense exchange between the two politicians. Lawler defended Phony Stark, crediting him with a “turbocharged forensic audit through every department and agency.”

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In response to Lawler’s praise of Musk, Hayes had to remind him and the American people how terrible cuts have been and that the American public has a “right to be concerned about Elon Musk because he’s an unelected billionaire who has a tremendous amount of influence.” She continued, “This is not normal. All of this waste, fraud, and abuse we don’t want that either, but what we’re talking about is burning down the house…” Lawler couldn’t stand for Hayes clowning of Musk and tried to interrupt her, but she quickly shut him down telling him to his face, “”I’m still talking, please!” He responded by asking her, “Is there one thing you agree with?”

Hayes Patience With Lawler Ran Out

He didn’t stop as he sat back down, continuing to interrupt Hayes as she addressed attendees until she stopped and asked, “Mr. Lawler, can you please let me finish my conversation?” as he continued to ask his question, forcing her to confront him once again, “What is your question?” “Can you identify one thing of waste that they have found that you actually agree with that should be eliminated?” Lawler asked. Hayes responded by calling out fraud in the unemployment system, adding “And we have processes and policies to do that, but for one person to make those decisions, everyone should have a level of concern by that.” She wasn’t done. When Lawler mentioned that there were “career employees” in DOGE going over our data, Hayes asked the million-dollar question, “Who are they?” over and over. Spoiler alert: Lawler didn’t answer her question. Welp. You can see social media reactions to the town hall in the gallery below.

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