House Republicans advised to avoid in-person town halls amid protests
House Republicans are being encouraged to avoid in-person town halls in favor of phone and live-streamed versions, advice that comes after constituents and activists rocked recent GOP events by expressing outrage about the Trump administration’s dramatic moves to reshape the federal government.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) told House Republicans at a closed-door conference meeting Tuesday morning that members should opt for tele-town halls or live streamed events that can reach more people, rather than in-person town halls that can be hijacked by Democratic activists.
The advice comes after a slew of people at GOP lawmaker town halls across the country raised concerns about actions taken by President Trump in the first few weeks of his administration, especially changes made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Those complaints were aired during town halls for GOP lawmakers across the country, including in Texas, Wisconsin and Georgia.
Republicans have slammed the interruptions, attributing them to Democratic agitators. On Monday, Trump blamed “Paid ‘troublemakers’” for the viral moments.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said leadership advised Republicans to “be more targeted” when it comes to planning town halls.
“I think they just urged us to be more targeted and where’s, who we’re talking to, because it’s pretty clear that they’ve got professional instigators, people that are showing up that are not even constituents,” Burchett said. “And it’s getting dangerous.”
“They're going to people’s houses, they’re putting notices out, where do they live, where do they go to church, where do they eat, they did that on me,” he added. “That kind of activity is, breeds a very dangerous situation for families.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) echoed the advice when asked about whether Republicans should hold town halls in a press conference after the Tuesday meeting, telling reporters that leadership is advising its members to utilize various avenues for communication.
“We've been encouraging our members to communicate directly with their constituents, and they're anxious to do that. There's lots of different ways and forums to do it,” Johnson said. “You can do it in telephone town halls. You can have small subgroups of people from different industries and segments of the community. We find that to be very, very productive, and more productive than if you just go to an open forum right now. Why? Because we've seen this movie before. George Soros-funded groups and others literally pay protesters.”
“The best thing that our members can do is communicate directly, frequently, consistently, with their constituents,” he added. “And there are other avenues to do it, and just going in to try to give the other side sound bites. I mean, they're doing this for the cameras. We all know it, and I think it's wise not to play into it right now.”
House Democrats are poking at the Republicans for giving that advice.
“So House Republicans’ political strategy is ‘see no families nor workers,’ ‘hear no protesters’, ‘speak to no one’ and hope everyone gets less angry at them when they rip away Americans’ health care? Got it,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Viet Shelton.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin accused Republican leaders of " telling their members to hide from their own constituents."
“If Republicans had any courage – or if they truly believed in the havoc they’re complicit in – they would stand up in front of their voters to proudly defend what Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doing,” he added.
And House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) posted a video on Monday responding to the allegation that Democrats are paying protesters.
“What’s wrong with y’all?” Jeffries said. “We don’t need to send paid protesters into your town hall meetings. The American people are with us, all across the country. People are rising up to push back against the assault on the economy, the assault on hard-working families, the assault on our democracy, and the assault on medicaid. We don’t need paid protesters, bro.
Still, some lawmakers are already heeding GOP leadership’s advice. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) — who recounted instances of “crazy activists” showing up at her home — said she does not feel comfortable holding in-person town halls.
“When in person town halls are being funded by Soros operatives and they're there to only disrupt and not truly get answers, then it really defeats the purpose of a town hall,” Boebert said. “I've done many tele town halls, and I think that those are very productive, and we can reach thousands more people than we ever could in person, and so I think that that is a great strategy.”
“But for me personally, it's just not safe to do an in-person town hall because I don't know what to expect,” she added.
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