GREAT VALLEY — After a woman at Rep. Tom Reed’s town hall Saturday asked the congressman why he recently voted to allow states to deny federal funds for Planned Parenthood, a heated argument over abortion escalated just outside the overfilled Humphrey Volunteer Fire Department hall.

Reed, microphone in hand, approached the confrontation to calm his arguing constituents.

“Let’s just all respect each other,” Reed, R-Corning, told the crowd. “I just wanted to make sure we stay under control and we respect each other.”

Reed faced several tense and confrontational crowds during four town hall sessions Saturday throughout Cattaraugus, Allegany and Chautauqua counties in his 23rd Congressional District. Approximately 250 people crowded inside and outside the Humphrey fire hall to ask Reed questions about his voting record and potential changes to health care, social security and reproductive rights under President Donald Trump’s administration. There were also several Trump supporters donning “Make America Great Again” hats and one man wearing a “Trump is my president” T-shirt.

Republican congressmen across the country have faced protests and pointed questions at their local town halls in recent weeks. Some have begun requiring advance registration or even cancellation of the events altogether. After the town hall in Great Valley and on his way to another in Fillmore, Reed said he was unfazed by the questions, and that he would continue to hold public sessions.

“This is democracy. I love it,” he told the Olean Times Herald. “I can’t speak for other members and how they are conducting their efforts, but I will tell you this is something I believe in and I think it’s the right thing to do and we’re going to continue to do it.”

Attendees questioned if Reed, who served as a vice chair of Trump’s transition team and was a staunch Trump supporter throughout the presidential campaign, would support legislation to investigate Trump’s alleged ties to Russia in light of Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn’s resignation for having conversations with Russian officials before Trump took office.

Reed and other House Republicans recently blocked Democrats’ efforts to use a 1924 law to make Trump’s tax returns public. He told attendees he has not seen anything that “would warrant any type of investigation,” and the federal government having the power to target an individual, including the sitting president, sets a “dangerous precedent.”

“We’re always going to be supportive of oversight mechanisms when we see potential conflicts in action (and) when there’s not just speculation, but actual evidence,” Reed said.

Many in attendance responded that Trump’s tax returns should be public so it can be seen if there is any evidence of conflicts. Others shouted that it’s the government’s job to hold those in power in accountable.

Hinsdale resident Barbara Dyskant said she felt Reed “sidestepped” questions. She was among others who wore signs reading “I live in NY-23 and I was not paid to be here,” in light of accusations town hall protesters are paid by Democratic donors,.

“He needs to know what his constituents think,” Dyskant said. “It helps us to do our civic job, which is to let our representative know what we think. I owe him to let him know what I think, whether he agrees or not, so he can hopefully do his job.”

Reed was also asked about GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare” after former President Barack Obama, without a replacement plan in place. One woman asked Reed why the healthcare act cannot be amended rather than replaced, and a man told Reed he is a diabetic and the repeal would be a “death sentence for him.”

Reed was also asked about the government capping the price of pharmaceutical drugs, to which he said he is a believer in “market pressure” rather than government caps. A woman responded that “we’ve tried free market and it’s benefited the rich and it’s failed the middle class and the poor.” Another woman said that without government mandates, there’s nothing to stop companies from raising prices for pharmaceuticals.

Reed responded that he believes “in the people.”

Reproductive rights were also a hot topic at the town hall, with several attendees arguing about abortion. One man, who stated he was a father of two daughters, asked Reed what he would do to make sure his daughters have a right to make decisions about their bodies, which resulted in loud applause.

Reed said he’s “pro-life” based on life experiences, stating that his mother was advised by her doctor to have an abortion when she was pregnant with him in 1971.

One woman in attendance responded, “she had a choice.” Reed responded, “What about my choice?”

For as many tense moments between Reed and his constituents, there were also tense moments between attendees. When a man, while asking Reed a question about Obamacare, claimed that Obama was raised as a Muslim, the fire hall erupted in shouting and boos. When a woman made a statement and cited National Public Radio, several people audibly laughed at her and one woman shouted “watch FOX News.”

Reed said of the confrontation that he intervened when he wanted to send a message that “in America, we all have the right to express ourselves and not have physical confrontation.” Although at times tensions would escalate, Reed said, there were also good conversations.

“At some points, yeah, it was a little chaotic, but for stretches there we had a real conversation and that’s what it’s all about, listening to people,” he told the Times Herald.

Dyskant was “heartened” that people were “restrained” and came together to express different points of view. She said although she may not have voted for Reed, he’s still her representative, adding that Reed agreed to talk with her about her concerns with net neutrality.

“(Although) I felt he was making an effort to sort of quiet us down, I think he’s a human being. I’m not abandoning working with him,” she said.