U.S. Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas made a pitch for continuing President Donald Trump’s tax cuts to a friendly crowd of about 35 supporters Saturday, as more than 200 people gathered outside to protest Estes, Trump, and billionaire Elon Musk over deep cuts to federal spending and workforce.

Estes was the headliner of a meeting at downtown Wichita’s Union Station. It was sponsored by Americans For Prosperity, a Republican-supporting political group affiliated with Koch Industries, which advocates for extending tax cuts passed by Congress in 2017 during Trump’s first administration.

“What we did with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was, how do we get more money in people’s pockets so they can do the things that they want to do with it,” Estes said.

But as he and others spoke, clearly audible were the demonstrators outside, honking horns, blowing whistles and chanting “This is what democracy looks like” and other slogans protesting the Trump administration.

Many called on Estes to hold a broad-based town hall meeting, so they could ask questions and vent their frustration over massive spending cuts and firings of government workers spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk heads.

“We make phone calls (to Estes’ offices), but no one ever calls back,” said Mandy Pilla, a registered nurse who lives in Andover. “I’m very frustrated that an unelected oligarch (Musk) is meddling in our government, and I don’t believe in that.”

The AFP event brought together several speakers. The crowd included Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell and county Republican Chairman John Whitmer.

The focus of the rally was the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and the “necessity of renewing this landmark legislation to continue driving prosperity,” according to the AFP.

The act, signed by Trump in January 2018, was the largest tax code overhaul in more than three decades.

“The goal of the one and half trillion-dollar reform bill was to spur economic growth, reduce regulations and create more business-friendly environment for the U.S.,” according to the Bloomberg business news service.

“How do we get the economy to grow?” Estes said. “Part of that is by making sure that businesses can be able to make investments, that they can make sure they hire more workers and that they can pay their workers.

“What we saw out of that effort, we saw wages go up across the board. . . . All sorts of groups show that they had wage increases after 2017.”

The act especially helped small businesses, by allowing them to deduct and not pay taxes on 20% of their business income, Estes said.

Several of the act’s key provisions, including the small business deductions, are set expire on Dec. 31.

“We don’t want to go backwards, we don’t want to see an increase in the taxes you have to pay and we don’t want to see all of us have a slower economic growth,” Estes said. “We want to make sure that businesses have the money that they can actually invest in their business and that individuals can keep their money to keep and having in their pockets.”

‘I’m frustrated’

At the same time, protesters swarmed the grounds of Union Station and the nearby Naftzger Park.

Some outside said they’re worried about planned cuts to federal departments and services, including Medicaid, Veterans Affairs and Education. Others blasted Trump over his withdrawal of support for Ukraine in resisting the Russian invasion.

“I wish I could nail it down to one (cause for protest), but there’s just so many,” Pilla said. “I don’t like the fact that there’s a felon in the White House, and that he surrounds himself with all these billionaires to make more money. He’s taking so many people’s way of life — and living — without any forethought.”

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