Editor’s note: The Senate passed President Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ Tuesday, 51-to-50.
Nearly 1,700 people gathered at the Hughes Metroplex, north of Wichita State’s main campus, to attend an unusual Kansas congressional town hall meeting, headlined by two out-of-state congressmen.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) visited Wichita on Sunday as part of an ongoing effort to address citizens in states without regular, transparent town hall meetings.
“Maxwell and I have been traveling the country anywhere that a Republican senator or congressman refuses to talk to their constituents,” Murphy said. “We will be there because the basic responsibility, representation, listening to the people you represent, is not running and hiding from the people you represent.”
The town hall was organized by Leading Kansas, a non-partisan group aimed at holding elected officials accountable to the people.
Katy Tyndell, a co-founder of Leading Kansas, said that her goal with the event was to have Kansas officials host the town hall rather than out-of-state representatives.
“I initially reached out to Senator (Jerry) Moran’s office on March 25, asking for a town hall with Leading Kansas,” Tyndell said. “It has been 96 days of silence. We have sent follow-up attempts. We have agreed to work with their schedulers, on any platform they choose, and we have received silence.”
The Sunflower has reached out to the offices of Sen. Jerry Moran and Rep. Ron Estes for a comment, but has yet to receive a response.
Tyndell said that in April, Leading Kansas pivoted to outside voices.
“When that was not going to happen, we needed somebody else to come and speak with Kansans,” Tyndell said. “We asked far and wide, and there were two national leaders who were meeting this moment like no others.”
Murphy and Frost focused on the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” and the effects cuts would have on Medicaid and Medicare services and residents in Kansas.
The bill is a large combination of tax and domestic policy changes, including expanded tax cuts, significant cuts to Medicaid and some changes to student loan procedures. It is expected to increase state costs related to food assistance in Kansas, potentially jeopardizing 27,000 people, according to a report given to the Kansas City Beacon through Gov. Laura Kelly’s office.
Murphy and Frost address the town hall
Since the beginning of the year, Frost and Murphy have traveled frequently to talk directly with people from around the country about how decisions made in Washington, D.C., will affect them.
Murphy couldn’t join the town hall in person, but attended via Zoom. He called in from Washington, D.C., before a day of debate on the upcoming vote on the bill.
“Last night (Saturday), they cleared the first procedural hurdle, so the bill is on the floor, but sometime late, late tonight or tomorrow morning, they will have to take a final vote,” Murphy said. “And they will have to put their votes up on the board as to whether they are willing to go back to their states and explain (their vote).”
On Sunday, Murphy appeared on NBC, criticizing President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” and the Supreme Court’s decision on birthright citizenship. In the interview, he said he believed there was a chance the bill would not pass.
At the end of his brief appearance, Murphy introduced Frost.
Frost, 28, is the youngest member of the United States Congress serving in Orlando, Florida. He said that Murphy was disappointed he was unable to attend.
“I’ll tell you how much Chris wanted to be here in the days leading up,” Frost said. “… He was like, ‘If I can’t make it, will you go anyway?’ I was like, ‘Of course, I’d go anyway. I love Wichita. Never been there before, but I love it.’”
Throughout his presentation, he expressed his disappointment at the lack of responses from representatives, at times calling them out by name.
“I gotta say his name, because my question is, where is Representative Ron Estes?” Frost asked.
He said his presence in Kansas was out of the ordinary.
“I’m here from Orlando, Florida,” Frost said. “… I’m a little far away from my district. I actually had to take two planes to get here.”
Regarding the lack of town halls, Frost pointed to a decision earlier this year from the National Republican Party, causing reduced town halls around the country.
“The whole reason we’re on this tour is because a few months ago, the National Republican Party told their members of Congress, ‘Hey, look, stop hosting town halls,’” Frost said. “ … They told them to do this because day after day, as Republicans were hosting their town halls, people were protesting.”
In March, the NRCC chair and House Speaker Mike Johnson told House Republicans to stop hosting in-person town halls after protests around the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, according to Politico reporting.
“It’s a pretty disrespectful thing for a member of Congress from another district to come to somebody’s hometown district and host a town hall,” Frost said. “But do you know what’s even more disrespectful? Not listening to your own constituents who elected you in that office in the first place.”
Frost Q&A and audience response
After his introduction, Frost transitioned into a Q&A portion of the town hall.
“The main reason I’m here is to hear from you and answer your questions about what’s going on in Washington, D.C.,” Frost said. “How that impacts you here at home, what you can do to fight back.”
With nearly 1,700 people in attendance, organizers told the audience that every voice likely wouldn’t be heard, but they would try to send outstanding messages to representatives.
“If you can’t ask your question, if you can’t get up, go to leadingkansas.org, submit your question,” Noah Taylor, co-founder of Leading Kansas, said. “I am looking all of you in the eye right now. Hold me accountable. … I will make sure they hear your questions. We will not stop until our leaders hear our questions.”
Questions went into multitudes of topics, including housing, healthcare and the future of the Democratic Party.
Briana Kohl, a sophomore studying medical engineering at Wichita State, is the national delegate for Kansas Young Democrats. She also works with WSU Young Democrats.
“We’re working to bridge together, bring together moderate and progressive young voters to build real momentum in our purple state,” Kohl said. “What do you think it will take to truly bridge that divide, and how can young leaders help lead that effort in a way to strengthen the Democratic coalition?”
Frost mused on his expectations going into Congress and how those changed throughout his career in response.
“When I first got in the Congress, I thought, ‘Man, I’m going to be a part of all these ideological debates and battles of like the progressives versus the moderates,’” Frost said. “And then I get in, and now we’re in this moment where most of the rooms I’m in, probably including this one, are really less progressive versus moderate this and that, and more of, are you going to fight or are you going to fold?”
Additionally, he told her that in the internet age, there is a tipping point with political involvement.
“They come to this crossroads where they either decide, I’m going to get involved to make sure this never happens again, or they get driven further into apathy,” Frost said. “Those are the two options. We stand at that crossroads to give people a political home.”
Right before Frost left the stage, toward the end of the Q&A, he asked the audience to participate in a call-and-response video for Rep. Estes.
“I’ll say, ‘Representative Estes, I’m here with just a few of your constituents, and they have a message for you,’” Frost said. “And then I’ll turn around and you’re gonna say, ‘Where are you?’”
After the event, Kohl said that the town hall was a great way for Democrats to show up in ‘purple states.’
“I don’t like to call us a red state. I think we are truly a purple state,” Kohl said. “… It really shows the power of showing up, and that the base is here in Wichita, and that people want answers — (they) want to talk to their representatives.”
Going into the 2026 elections, Kohl aims to focus on the governor’s election and other local races in Kansas.
“Our long-term strategy is to get students involved,” Kohl said. “Let them know how to make a difference in their community, let them ask questions and raise their voices so that young people have a real impact on what’s happening in Kansas.”
Reflecting on the event, Taylor said he hoped the people who showed up felt engaged and empowered.
“The people need to be engaged, and the more we are apathetic and say, ‘I can’t do anything,’ or, ‘My phone call doesn’t matter,’ the more we as Kansas lose,” he said.“So I feel empowered, and I feel excited to see so many people stand up and get involved, and I am looking forward to the next steps of engaging with them and partnering with them and how we can work together to make things better.”
Looking forward, Leading Kansas aims to host events with Kansas leaders.
“Our leaders need to show up,” Taylor said. “And if they don’t want to show up for Wichita and they want to show up in Topeka, we’ll facilitate it there, but they’ve got to do something.”
