Democrats across the U.S. have been attending town hall meetings held by Republican members of Congress, to speak out against the agendas of President Trump and Republicans in Congress - especially their pledge to repeal Obamacare. New York Democrats want to do the same here, but the city's only Republican congressman won't cooperate. NY1's Michael Herzenberg filed the following report:

About 100 demonstrators chanted outside of the Brooklyn office of Representative Dan Donovan, the only Republican congressman from New York City.

They said they are upset about Donovan's support for repealing the Affordable Care Act -- and his refusal to hold a town hall meeting so they can speak to him face-to-face about it.

"It makes me feel very frightened, and it makes me mad," said one.

"Terrible!" said another.

"Very, very desperate and sad," another said,

Many, like Nidhi Khanna of the group Staten Island for Change, say it's personal.

"Someone like me, who has a pre-existing condition, would actually get charged more if Obamacare is repealed. Obamacare prevents insurance companies from charging more for people with pre-existing conditions," she said.

Protesters held signs and chanted, "What's the plan, Dan? What's the plan, Dan?"

Democratic voters have been confronting Republican lawmakers at town hall meetings across the country in recent weeks -- mirroring the Republican voters who faced off against Democratic congressman in 2009 to protest Obamacare, confrontations that gave rise to the Tea Party.

Donovan has only held so-called telephone town halls, taking calls that are pre-screened by staff. Protesters like Laura McCarth
said that's not enough.

"There's no public forum that he's willing to give us so that he's willing to hear our concerns," she told NY1.

Donovan has introduced a bill that seeks to preserve some elements of Obamacare - including a guarantee of coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions. But it is not clear if he would oppose any Republican plan that would not provide those guarantees.

"It's a good start but there's so much uncertainty that people like me won't get health insurance that I need a definite answer," Khanna said.

Donovan represents a politically conservative slice of southwest Brooklyn and all of Staten Island, a hotbed of support for President Trump, who supports repealing and replacing Obamacare.,

Donovan's office tells NY1 he will not hold regular town hall meetings because of what it calls the threat of disruptions.

But the office says the congressman will continue to hold telephone town halls with pre-screened calls, and that any individual or group that wants to have a one-on-one meeting with him, can schedule one online.