A virtual town hall hosted by U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Congresswoman Becca Balint, D-Vt., drew roughly 34,000 participants Wednesday night as uncertainty over the future of federal programs took center stage.

The livestreamed meeting featured a blend of pre-submitted questions — over 1,400 — and live call-ins from residents eager to voice their concerns.

While only a tiny fraction of the questions were answered due to the 90-minute time limit, Balint, Sanders and Welch responded to a wide array of inquiries on topics that included the potential slashing of Medicaid and Medicare, the impact of cuts to veterans’ health care, and the future of Social Security.

The delegation’s responses largely focused on acknowledging the participants’ concerns and letting them know their worries were understood. There were repeated pledges to continue the fight.

One exception to the general theme came from a caller from Richmond, Vt., who voiced his support for the Trump administration’s actions, arguing that the stated goal to root out corruption and cut waste could help fund programs like Social Security and Medicaid. He questioned why Vermont’s delegation seemed more focused on President Donald Trump and Elon Musk than on addressing financial mismanagement in government.

Sanders pushed back against the critique, emphasizing that he, Welch, and Balint oppose waste, fraud, and misuse of federal funds. 

“If anyone wants to make the government more efficient, I’m all for it,” he said. However, Sanders argued that the biggest source of financial mismanagement is the Department of Defense, which has failed to pass an independent audit despite its massive budget. 

“There are hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars they cannot account for. Should we go after them? Absolutely,” Sanders said. While acknowledging bureaucracy exists across agencies, Sanders argued that addressing inefficiencies shouldn’t come at the expense of programs that serve the nation’s most vulnerable.