Testy crowd greets U.S. Rep. Brian Mast in Fort Pierce

Feb. 25--U.S. Rep. Brian Mast hasn't had much time to accrue a legislative record, but that didn't stop him from taking the heat from a vocal crowd.

Mast spoke to a crowd of more than 300 people Friday in his first in-person town hall since he took office Jan. 3. It was supposed to be 1 1/2 hours long, but it ran two hours over that as Mast fielded questions on everything from investigating the extent of President Donald Trump's ties to Russia to funding for Planned Parenthood.

Most of the questions Mast fielded revolved around care for civilians through the Affordable Care Act and for military personnel through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mast emphasized his support for the popular portion of "Obamacare" that prevents companies from denying an applicant because of a pre-existing condition.

"It is my goal ... personally, to make sure every one of you has access to health care," Mast said.

When Mast expressed support for House Speaker Paul Ryan's proposed alternative to Obamacare, it drew skepticism and boos from the crowd.

"We hadn't had health insurance in three years. I have it now because of the Affordable Care Act," said Cate Pracey, of Jupiter. "Don't take something away before you have a real solution."

The event officially was themed around veterans issues, as evident in the fact the first two rows were reserved for veterans. Mast used a personal example to demonstrate how he thinks the VA should be reformed. When he was injured while serving in the Army, he said he initially received care from the Department of Defense, which he said was able to respond much more quickly to treating his injuries.

"Most of us know that's a stark difference from the VA," Mast said.

Lou Shanley, a Vietnam War veteran from West Palm Beach, agreed with Mast's criticisms of the VA. Shanley said he sought an eye doctor through the VA once, but was so disgusted with the service that he prefers to pay for his medical care using his own, private insurance.

"I'll never go back to the VA for an eye doctor," Shanley said. "There's plenty of veterans like that."

Eventually, the conversation veered into hot-button topics, less about Mast's policies and more about Trump. Mast lined up with Trump on several key issues, such as the construction of a border wall between America and Mexico and reining in the power of government agencies. However, he said there are several areas where they disagree.

For example, several crowd members pressed Mast on whether he supports opening an independent investigation into the extent of Trump's ties with Russia. Mast originally gave vague answers to the question but eventually said he "absolutely" supports Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham's efforts to investigate the ties.

"I am a proponent of upholding the law," Mast said. "No man is above the law."

He also took a more traditional approach to interacting with the press, saying it is "not my enemy."

Although it was his first in-person town hall, it was not his first public forum. Last week, he held a town hall by telephone. On Tuesday, he held a video conference with protesters in Port St. Lucie.

The appearance of protesters at Mast's town hall comes amid a nationwide wave of demonstrators disrupting public forums hosted by members of Congress, who are currently on recess. Though protests have cropped up at events for candidates on both sides of the aisle, Republicans have faced the lion's share of criticism and ensuing publicity. In anticipation for this, police asked protesters to leave their signs outside the ballroom where the town hall was taking place.

Mast said in response to a constituent's Facebook post on Wednesday, that he will continue to host town halls "in varied locations and at varied times."

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