Rep. Adrian Smith speaks at UNK student event, draws scorn from impassioned locals

KEARNEY, Neb. — U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith is the latest member of Nebraska’s congressional delegation to face a cantankerous crowd in his home state.

Smith participated in a question and answer event hosted by the College Republicans at UNK on Thursday afternoon. A couple dozen students were on hand and asked questions, but most of the crowd was made up of locals, many of whom were at Sen. Pete Ricketts' town hall earlier in the day.

Smith fielded questions ranging from the future of the Department of Education to the work of the Department of Government Efficiency.

“As a policy maker, I’m concerned that the bureaucracy has grown so large across many different agencies," Smith said. "I think, when you see the Department of Government Efficiency so far, is it’s actually a pretty small footprint.”

The student segment included typical discourse but the mood changed when locals started asking questions. He left for another engagement about 45 minutes after the event started.

Congress returns to Washington from a two-week recess on Monday.