The Hill News

Freshman Republican congressman Joe Walsh (Ill.), defending his hardline opposition to the debt-limit deal at a town hall meeting Thursday in his district, said Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has “lost touch” with the anger of the American people.

“The longer you spend in that town, you change,” Walsh said, according to the Northwest Herald. “You forget what brought you there. John Boehner’s no different. He’s lost touch with this anger and frustration that’s going on in America right now.”

The freshmen congressmen, many of whom were elected in 2010 on a wave of Tea Party voter support, feel the same anger that the American people do, according to Walsh. He told the crowd at the American Legion in Wauconda,! Ill. that trying to “corral” Republican freshmen had not been an easy job for Boehner. “He’s got one of the toughest jobs on the planet,” Walsh said. “I think in general, he’s doing a pretty good job.”

In recent months, Walsh has faced not only disagreement within his party over the debt ceiling but also a child support lawsuit filed by his ex-wife. Speaking at the same meeting, Walsh said the lawsuit “is different because this is personal.”

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