At Lincoln town hall, Flood touts bipartisanship as attendees fan culture war

Gathered in a gymnasium at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Flood, a Republican who represents Nebraska's 1st Congressional District, fielded more than a dozen questions Monday night in front of a crowd of about 100 attendees, some of whom used the opportunity to seek the congressman's thoughts on myriad culture war issues.

For close to an hour, constituents lined up for a chance to ask Flood questions that, more often than not, dealt with election integrity concerns, immigration or the political opponents of Republicans — from President Joe Biden to local Democratic leaders, whom one attendee suggested had carried out an "invasion" of public office in Lincoln.

"We're all Nebraskans, at the end of the day," said Flood, who at times took hardline stances on issues such as gun control and student loan forgiveness, but more often tried to seek a middle ground in the district he won reelection in by nearly 36,000 votes last November.

"Every time I have went over to the Democratic side and I have found a Democratic co-sponsor," Flood said to muted applause after an attendee questioned the congressman on the GOP's seeming inability to govern.

"So I do believe in working in a bipartisan way," he said.

Dual crises at the border

In responses to three separate questions on border security and immigration at large — including one written inquiry that asked him, simply, "Why must Western countries accept so many migrants?" — Flood described the situation at the country's southern border "not just a national security issue for Americans" but as a "humanitarian issue."

"We have to get a handle on that no matter what we do," he said. "Am I for making our immigration system more efficient? Yes."

Flood said he has supported efforts to increase funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to process a backlog of visa applications, which he called "unacceptable."

Pointing to the Statue of Liberty as a beacon of the country's status as a refuge for migrants, Flood said the U.S. still has a system — albeit a cumbersome one — that allows document migrants to enter.

But he also warned about fentanyl "rushing over the Southern border," ending up in Nebraska towns and cities.

"We have to make sure we know who's coming into the United States," he said.

The congressman also acknowledged that "workforce is an issue in Nebraska," where the unemployment rate was 1.9% as of June, and it's one he hopes to address.

"But it does not start with amnesty," he said. "It does not start with extending voting rights to people who are not here legally. It does not extend to wiping away the laws that we have on the books."

Gun control a nonstarter

In his responses to three separate questions on the congressman's potential support for even modest gun control efforts, Flood drew a hard line against the notion of limiting access to any kind of firearms.

"I do not support infringing the rights of law-abiding Nebraskans," he said, instead pointing to increased mental health care, school security and traditional law enforcement methods as means to stop gun violence, which was among the five leading causes of death for people ages 1-44 in the United States in 2020, according to CDC data.

"I know firsthand that mental health issues are at the heart of what happens with gun violence, and I think we need to make sure not only our state's (mental health care providers) but our out-of-facility providers are also reimbursed fairly for providing that service," he said.

Noting a decrease in patients institutionalized at the Lincoln Regional Center over the past two decades, Flood suggested there needs to be a reinvestment in long-term care facilities.

Asked why he doesn't support a ban on assault weapons or high-capacity magazines, Flood said "ultimately, the people pulling the trigger are the ones responsible."

Flood also said he supports increasing funding for schools to hire school resource officers and invest in other security measures.

And, pointing to this year's downtick in homicides in Omaha and crediting Omaha police and nonprofits, Flood said Nebraska could and should be a model for reducing gun violence without infringing on constitutional rights.

"There are solutions for gun violence out there, and it's not by arresting our way out of the problem," he said. "It's about our communities working together. And, quite frankly, the solution is right under our nose in our state's largest city in Omaha."

Mostly plainspoken on culture war issues

Facing questions on missing ballots, the potential impeachment of Biden and the supposed Democratic "invasion" of elected offices in Lincoln, Flood, for the most part, leaned on evidence, due process and the principles of democracy — disappointing some of the town hall's most right-leaning attendees.

Repeatedly, Flood noted that there have been numerous lawsuits filed around the country challenging the results of the 2020 election, "but we have not seen evidence ... that would have impaired the end result."

"I believe, in Nebraska, the state that we reside in, our elections are safe," Flood said. "Because I have not seen any evidence that has ended up in a court of law that has disputed that."

Flood, who noted that he supported the voter identification requirements that Nebraskans passed via a ballot initiative last year, also flatly dismissed the notion that the Capital City has somehow been infiltrated by Democrats, in a move that one attendee suggested was an "invasion" despite the fact that Lincoln's mayor and the Democratic majority on its City Council were all selected by the city's voters.

"We disagree," Flood told the man, who asked what he could do as the district's congressman to protect Lincoln "from invasion."

"I do not think there has been a 'constitutional invasion,'" Flood added later.

Flood, though, declined to say one way or another whether he would vote to impeach Biden given the opportunity to do so in the House, where the Oversight Committee has for months been investigating the president and his son Hunter Biden's business dealings.

"I have an obligation to make sure, as I vote, I do so based on the evidence," Flood said, noting he would have the opportunity to sit in on open hearing and "read the record" before ever voting to impeach the president.

"I will tell you there are a lot of issues surrounding President Biden and his son that I have serious concerns about," Flood said, later adding: "There are reasons to be suspicious. That's why we have to sort through it."