This week, over 400 Floridians gathered at three town hall events in Odessa, Crystal River, and Spring Hill, hosted by U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and facilitated by The Concord Coalition. These events gave constituents a unique opportunity to role-play as members of Congress and tackle the nation’s daunting fiscal challenges through an interactive budget exercise.
On February 19, at the Odessa Public Library, about 120 residents turned into citizen legislators for the evening. Concord’s National Field Director, Phil Smith, kicked off the discussion by emphasizing the urgent need for fiscal responsibility and called for Washington leaders to develop a sustainable long-term budget plan. Participants divided into 12 committees and deliberated on approximately 40 budget options—ranging from defense spending to healthcare reform—to assemble a fiscally responsible 10-year federal budget. Remarkably, each group managed to achieve substantial savings, ranging from $1.5 trillion to over $9 trillion over the next decade.
Representative Bilirakis praised the diverse participation, stating, “We have people that watch MSNBC. You have people who watch FOX—CNN—what have you. I want feedback from all of them.” Attendees found the exercise eye-opening, with passionate yet civil discussions across party lines. Cindy Ballard from New Port Richey noted, “I think we’re finding out that we all believe in the same things. We just have different ways of getting there.”
The following day, two additional events in Crystal River and Spring Hill drew even larger crowds, with more than 160 participants each. Again, constituents took on tough choices, proposing significant cuts to lower projected deficits as forecasted by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Results were compelling, and each committee sent their budget proposals directly to Congressman Bilirakis, ensuring that citizen voices were heard clearly in Washington.
Bilirakis stressed the importance of making informed decisions: “It’s absolutely necessary that we make cuts, but I want to make sure they are educated decisions.” He committed to bringing this valuable input back to the Capitol, reinforcing the critical role citizens play in shaping a fiscally responsible future for America.
Read more coverage of these impactful events from ABC Action News here.
