Utah Rep. Maloy Offers Tepid Criticism Of Some White House Spending Cuts At Town Hall

Republican U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy received applause at a Thursday town hall in Salt Lake City when she told the crowd she's concerned about the country drifting toward authoritarianism "if we don't get the executive branch under control."

But the cheers turned to boos when she added those worries weren't specific to Republican President Donald Trump .

"When Biden was president, I had the same concern," she said, referring to former Democratic President Joe Biden.

Maloy's comments summed up her careful approach to criticizing Trump throughout the event, which she held with Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kennedy . The Utah lawmakers are among a handful of Republicans who have held public meetings against the recommendation of House Speaker Mike Johnson , who encouraged them to skip out after others drew protesters.

The boisterous audience in liberal Salt Lake City repeatedly urged Maloy to denounce Trump's sweeping federal budget cuts. Maloy wields power over federal funding as a member of the House Appropriations Committee. She and Kennedy said they opposed some of the administration's cuts, including to the National Park Service. But Maloy also said tough spending decisions are necessary.