Ehlers holds town hall in Grand Rapids

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Congressman Vern Ehlers (R) Grand Rapids held a town hall meeting at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum Auditorium in Grand Rapids.

More than 100 people attended as Ehlers gave opening remarks on government spending, the federal deficit, and swine flu.

Ehlers says trillions of dollars in government spending led by the Democrat-controlled Congress and the Obama administration is out of control. Ehlers presented a graph depicting a Republican alternative to spending which would lead to a much smaller deficit over time.

Addressing the swine flu, Ehlers, says the media's coverage has blown the issue out of proportion, noting that the strain has caused very few deaths especially here in the United States. Ehlers spoke about President Ford's efforts to have the government spend money to research a swine flu vaccine while he was in office. Ehlers echoed health officials advice for the public to wash hands frequently, and stay home if you feel sick.

Following opening remarks, Ehlers took questions from the audience for about 45 minutes.