INTERVIEW: Rep. Mark Alford recaps 94th public event, lays out his agenda for rural America, talks tariffs, and discusses the media's Trump Derangement Syndrome
THE LOWDOWN:
Rep. Mark Alford (R., Mo.) spent decades in the local news business, so he knows how to handle rowdy crowds and hectic events — an experience that could serve him given the influx of liberal activists across the country who are hijacking GOP town halls.
Alford’s latest town hall, his 94th public meeting in just over two years, saw almost 5,000 people tune in to hear him discuss his success funding military installations, his work on the Farm Bill, and his work on the Appropriations Committee, which he recently joined.
According to a poll conducted by Alford of his constituents at the town hall, a whopping 82 percent support President Donald Trump and his America First agenda.
Alford’s ubiquitous presence in his district is essential for him to let his constituents know what he’s working on, especially for rural small businesses, which he said “were left on the sidelines” during the Biden administration.
Rep. Mark Alford (R., Mo.) spent decades in the local news business, so he knows how to handle rowdy crowds and hectic events — an experience that could serve him given the influx of liberal activists across the country who are hijacking GOP town halls.
However, Alford’s constituents are far from mad at President Donald Trump or Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts, as Alford’s latest town hall showed.
Alford’s latest town hall, his 94th public meeting in just over two years, saw almost 5,000 people tune in to hear him discuss his success funding military installations, his work on the Farm Bill, and his work on the Appropriations Committee, which he recently joined.
The Missourians in attendance made their voices heard, too, contradicting the narrative pushed by Democrats and liberal journalists that Republican lawmakers are dealing with widespread objections to their policies.
According to a poll conducted by Alford of his constituents on the town hall, a whopping 82 percent support President Donald Trump and his America First agenda. Ninety percent believe that there is “waste, fraud, and/or abuse in the federal government that should be identified and eliminated to save taxpayer dollars,” 81 percent want Congress to “take action to prevent the largest automatic tax hike in American history by extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” and 74 percent prefer virtual events with their congressman.
The latter number is particularly interesting in light of Alford’s recent Washington Reporter interview, where he said he’s seen how liberal protesters can “hijack” events at the expense of constituents firsthand.
Several months ago, he was hosting a coffee event in Belton, Missouri, for constituents. “Instead,” he said, “a massive group of organized protesters — some constituents and some from outside of our district — hijacked the event.”
“What this did in practice is prevent our constituents who wanted to have a civil discussion from being able to do so. And that’s unacceptable to me. I’m happy to talk to people who disagree with me, but it should be civil,” Alford said.
However, Alford doesn’t want to let the left win, and he has three pieces of advice for his GOP colleagues who are staring down left-wing agitators at events back home.
“One, we can’t let the radical left stop us from talking to our constituents face to face,” he said. “Two, we should fully utilize virtual town halls when we are unable to do them in person. I’ve started just calling them town halls instead of virtual or tele, because that reflects the reality of leftist agitators who refuse to engage respectfully. Three, the safety of our constituents and staff is paramount.”
Alford’s ubiquitous presence in his district is essential for him to let his constituents know what he’s working on, especially for rural small businesses, which he said “were left on the sidelines” during the Biden administration, “both in accessing capital and counseling from the SBA, and from private investment that historically has disproportionately gone to major metropolitan centers on the east and west coasts.”
The Missouri lawmaker has a three point plan to help rural small businesses thrive, now that he’s in the driver’s seat. “Extend and enhance the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, especially the 199a small business deduction”; “cut Biden’s burdensome red tape”; and “get SBA field reps out of the swamp and into rural communities.”
Holding the Small Business Administration (SBA) accountable is something that Alford has spent years working on. Now, however, he chairs the Oversight Subcommittee on the Small Business Committee, and he said that he is “working to give Administrator Loeffler the back up to make sure this lawful order [for federal employees to return to their offices] is followed.” He also wants to tackle rampant COVID-era PPP fraud, which he said is a “ripe target for the DOGE initiative.”
“These fraudsters literally stole taxpayer funding that was intended for struggling small businesses that were forced to close by the government,” he said. “The Small Business Committee can help identify these cases and refer them to the proper authorities, as well as generally raising the alarm about this pervasive problem to increase public awareness.”
Alford added that there are other ways to work with DOGE, but that his vantage point on the Appropriations Committee has underscored for him that “the first step is getting back to regular order.”
“We need to pass all twelve appropriations bills through the House, and perhaps more challenging, get the Senate to do their job too,” he said. “We were able to get all twelve appropriations bills out of Committee last Congress, but didn’t finish the job. I’m confident in Chairman Cole’s ability to get the job done this year. Through that process, it’s critical that we work with DOGE to identify and codify their efforts to dismantle waste, fraud, and abuse. That will prevent future administrations from turning the spigot of taxpayer money back on, and funding left-wing, America last projects that undermine our core national interests.”
Another “huge win for Missouri” that Alford was eager to tout is that Boeing will be building the new F-47 planes in Missouri.
“While it’s not in the 4th District,” he said. “It will provide good paying jobs for hard working Missourians. I’m working with our Governor, Mike Kehoe, to turn the Show Me State into the Grow Me State. This is a critical step in the right direction, and I’m proud of the work my team put in to make this happen.”
Alford’s constituents, while overwhelmingly pro-Trump, gave the congressman a variety of feedback during his latest town hall. One asked about overreach by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Alford responded that he is a co-sponsor of legislation to abolish the agency and allow other law enforcement agencies to assume its responsibilities. One constituent told him that inflation is still hitting him hard, “I’m hanging in as good as I can, but it’s painful.”
When it comes to potential reciprocal tariffs from Trump, Alford told the Reporter that “what I’ve been telling my constituents is these tariffs will lead to a period of short term pain for long term gain. For too long, other countries have been ripping off American workers and businesses with unfair trade policies.
President Trump is taking long overdue action to level the playing field. The long term impact of this will be reinvigorated domestic manufacturing, more secure supply chains, and better paying jobs.” One constituent told him during the town hall that Trump’s tariffs will be a net gain for the 4th District by bringing domestic manufacturing and good-paying factory jobs back to Missouri.
Finally, Alford reflected on the state of journalism, his former profession.
“I spent more than 35 years as a television journalist, almost 25 of those as an anchor on the number one morning news show in Kansas City,” he said. “I was actually in the media during the President’s first term, and I saw the Trump Derangement Syndrome firsthand. Now, as a Congressman, I see the media is up to its same dirty tricks and left wing bias. Thankfully, most Americans see through these tactics and are supportive of the success of President Trump’s America First agenda.”
Alford added that “the Trump administration and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt are masterfully navigating the emerging media ecosystem. By fully utilizing new media, like podcasts and social media, the Administration is able to go directly to the American people. This prevents the corporate media from injecting their inherent bias against President Trump.”
Below is a transcript of our interview with Rep. Mark Alford, lightly edited for clarity.
Washington Reporter:
Let’s start with the obvious–you hosted another town hall this week, which was almost your 100th event in just over two years; what are your constituents most eager to hear about from you?
Rep. Mark Alford:
Our constituents are most concerned about the economy, and what Republicans are doing to clean up the economic mess left by the Biden Administration. We got questions at our town hall that ranged the full spectrum of issues, from DOGE to tariffs to the 2nd Amendment.
Washington Reporter:
We’ve seen at town halls throughout the country, and in the course of day to day business, that liberal agitators are hijacking Republican offices and preventing them from being able to do normal constituent work; has that been your experience?
Rep. Mark Alford:
That happened to me personally at an event in Belton, Missouri just a couple months ago. It was supposed be a small coffee event where I could sit down with folks individually and discuss their concerns. Instead, a massive group of organized protesters — some constituents and some from outside of our district — hijacked the event. What this did in practice is prevent our constituents who wanted to have a civil discussion from being able to do so. And that’s unacceptable to me. I’m happy to talk to people who disagree with me, but it should be civil.
Washington Reporter:
What’s your advice to your colleagues on how to handle this?
Rep. Mark Alford:
There are three key things in my opinion. One, we can’t let the radical left stop us from talking to our constituents face to face. Since I’ve been in office, we’ve done an in-person town hall tour every August, and we will be doing it again this summer. Two, we should fully utilize virtual town halls when we are unable to do them in person. I’ve started just calling them town halls instead of virtual or tele, because that reflects the reality of leftist agitators who refuse to engage respectfully. Three, the safety of our constituents and staff is paramount. As public officials, we signed up for this, but we need to make sure our staff and constituents are safe from physical threats.
Washington Reporter:
One of your top priorities is your 3 point plan to save rural small businesses; this is something you’ve covered in op-eds with us and in your normal work. What can that look like?
Rep. Mark Alford:
Under the Biden administration, rural small businesses were left on the sidelines — both in accessing capital and counseling from the SBA, and from private investment that historically has disproportionately gone to major metropolitan centers on the east and west coasts. Under Republican leadership, we’re giving these rural entrepreneurs a seat at the table. Our three-point plan to help rural small businesses thrive is simple:
Extend and enhance the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, especially the 199a small business deduction. If we allow this provision to expire, millions of small businesses will see their tax rates rise to more than forty percent. That would eliminate their ability to compete with bigger firms, in addition to threatening their very existence.
Cut Biden’s burdensome red tape. In the previous administration, federal agencies finalized over 1,000 regulations, costing taxpayers $1.8 trillion in compliance. That is the same as the entire federal discretionary budget for FY23. The Trump administration has already taken strong steps to unwind some disastrous regulations, like FinCEN’s beneficial ownership reporting regime. But there’s more to be done and Congress should back up this administration’s efforts.
Get SBA field reps out of the swamp and into rural communities. Under the Biden administration, SBA headquarters were often empty, preventing small businesses from getting the counseling they need. By relocating these workers into the communities they serve, we can provide our nation’s small businesses with the support they deserve and reduce wasteful spending on unused office space. I’m proud to work with Chair Joni Ernst on the Returning SBA to Main Street Act to drain the swamp and ignite a new golden age for the backbone of our economy — American small businesses.
Washington Reporter:
Another priority of yours that you covered in a recent op-ed with us is about bringing accountability to the SBA, and making employees return to working in person. What can you do from your perch on the Oversight Subcommittee on the Small Business Committee to make that happen?
Rep. Mark Alford:
When we visited the SBA headquarters last Congress, we saw rows upon rows of empty desks where our civil servants should have been. It really was a slap in the face to hard working small business owners, our primary job creators, who were unable to get the SBA services they needed. The good news is that President Trump has ordered all federal workers to return to the office. As the Chair of the Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations, I’m working to give Administrator Loeffler the back up to make sure this lawful order is followed.
Washington Reporter:
The Trump administration recently said that it wants to prosecute COVID-era PPP fraud; how can you work with them on that?
Rep. Mark Alford:
PPP and other COVID era fraud is a ripe target for the DOGE initiative. These fraudsters literally stole taxpayer funding that was intended for struggling small businesses that were forced to close by the government. The Small Business Committee can help identify these cases and refer them to the proper authorities, as well as generally raising the alarm about this pervasive problem to increase public awareness.
Washington Reporter:
How do you want to ensure that any possible Trump tariffs aren’t negatively impacting your constituents? And do you think that his trade policy is a net benefit to your district?
Rep. Mark Alford:
What I’ve been telling my constituents is these tariffs will lead to a period of short term pain for long term gain. For too long, other countries have been ripping off American workers and businesses with unfair trade policies. President Trump is taking long overdue action to level the playing field. The long term impact of this will be reinvigorated domestic manufacturing, more secure supply chains, and better paying jobs.
Washington Reporter:
You’re also on Appropriations, and you’ve been working with Chairman Cole on getting that committee back to regular order, and in providing congressional backup to Trump on his DOGE efforts — how do you think DOGE is going overall? And what can Congress do to work to codify those cuts moving forward?
Rep. Mark Alford:
The first step is getting back to regular order. We need to pass all twelve appropriations bills through the House, and perhaps more challenging, get the Senate to do their job too. We were able to get all twelve appropriations bills out of Committee last Congress, but didn’t finish the job. I’m confident in Chairman Cole’s ability to get the job done this year. Through that process, it’s critical that we work with DOGE to identify and codify their efforts to dismantle waste, fraud, and abuse. That will prevent future administrations from turning the spigot of taxpayer money back on, and funding left-wing, America last projects that undermine our core national interests.
Washington Reporter:
A big win for your state is that Boeing will be building the F-47; what does that mean for Missouri specifically?
Rep. Mark Alford:
This is a huge win for Missouri. The F-47 will be built right here in Missouri at Boeing’s plant. While it’s not in the 4th District, it will provide good paying jobs for hard working Missourians. I’m working with our Governor, Mike Kehoe, to turn the Show Me State into the Grow Me State. This is a critical step in the right direction, and I’m proud of the work my team put in to make this happen.
Washington Reporter:
Finally, the White House Correspondents Dinner is coming up; you were a journalist for quite some time; how do you think the White House press corps is doing this go around?
Rep. Mark Alford:
I spent more than 35 years as a television journalist, almost 25 of those as an anchor on the number one morning news show in Kansas City. I was actually in the media during the President’s first term, and I saw the Trump Derangement Syndrome firsthand. Now, as a Congressman, I see the media is up to its same dirty tricks and left wing bias. Thankfully, most Americans see through these tactics and are supportive of the success of President Trump’s America First agenda!
Washington Reporter:
And what do you make of the Trump administration’s outreach to new media outlets? Does this have an impact for your constituents at home?
Rep. Mark Alford:
The Trump administration and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt are masterfully navigating the emerging media ecosystem. By fully utilizing new media, like podcasts and social media, the Administration is able to go directly to the American people. This prevents the corporate media from injecting their inherent bias against President Trump.
Washington Reporter:
Congressman Alford, thanks so much for chatting.