Asheville Watchdog

Last year, John Boyle heard from readers suggesting UNCA's Ideas Fest was a money-loser for the school, which was facing a $6 million shortfall. The Answer Man sent UNCA questions about the event, which took the university more than half a year to answer. avlwatchdog.org/answer-man-did…

Earlier today, Edwards abruptly walked away from a Canton town hall meeting and refused to answer questions about federal cuts to programs and services. He made it through the entire meeting here. smokymountainnews.com/news/item/3924…

"Hey, this has been fun," Edwards says as the crowd boos. "I really appreciate the opportunity to spend the last 89 minutes with you."

A questioner voices concern that the FDA abruptly canceled a meeting that was to determine the composition of this year's flu vaccine. Edwards says he's not aware of a meeting being canceled. Here's the NYT report on the cancellation. nytimes.com/2025/02/26/us/…

Edwards says he's not in support of annexing Greenland and Canada but says he's supportive of a mineral rights deal with Ukraine to help taxpayers recoup money that has been sent to that country.

A questioner asks Edwards if he supports the annexation of Canada & Greenland. "And this is a yes or no question. I don't want you to wander off into the woods. I don't want to hear about your latest week in office.... "

We have moved on to the open mic portion. The first questioner asks for a justification for the USAID cuts. In a lengthy response, Edwards says he doesn't necessarily agree with the "total tactic."

The next question: "Detail five things you've done this week to protect our democracy," a nod to DOGE's email to federal workers. The crowd hoots and hollers.

He refers to Trump as "the author of The Art of the Deal working his magic to try to create a situation where folks would come to the negotiating table that might not otherwise do that." The crowd erupts in boos.

Edwards is asked why he supports a president that doesn't care about NATO or Ukraine. He responds that the President is very supportive of Ukraine. The crowd boos loudly.

Edwards lists a litany of what he says are examples of governmental waste. "Our coun try is now in more debt than we have ever been before, $36 trillion."

"Will the foresters who were fired be rehired to clean up the storm debris that is a fire hazard?" It's a question of great interest in the region during wildfire season. Here's a story from @AVLWatchdog this week about the increased risk. avlwatchdog.org/wildfire-seaso…

@AVLWatchdog is at Rep. Chuck Edwards' town hall meeting this evening at A-B Tech and will be posting periodically. Not surprisingly, it's a packed house. In his opening remarks Edwards has thanked the crowd for encouraging him to hold the meeting.

Edwards is asked how he justifies cuts to staff of the Veterans Administration. He says that Trump, Congress and Elon Musk do not intend to eliminate "any job that directly provides service to our veterans."

We've now entered a Q&A phase in which submitted questions are being read. The anger is rising iun the room. In response to a question, Edwards says he supports the abolishment of the Dept of Education, saying decisions should be made at the local level.

"Do your job," one audience member yells. "I'm a veteran. You don't give a f--- about me," another yells. The anger level has clearly ratched up. An attendee is escorted out .

"I am accountable to the people of western North Carolina," Edwards says to applause. "I want to hear what's important to you. He then says, "I happen to agree with a lot of the things that's going on in Washington, D.C." That's met with loud boos.

Edwards says that while he was on Air Force One with Trump, he was honest with the president about how the recovery was going. As he talks about the bureaucracy of FEMA, people are heckling him.

He then pivots to Helene and mentions that he wrote and helped pass a $110 billion disaster aid funding bill that was signed by President Biden. He mentions President Trump's visit to the region on the Friday after his inauguration. That's met with loud boos.