WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans are again being advised against holding in-person town halls after several instances of lawmakers being berated by attendees went viral.
The chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is the Hill committee that works to get Republicans elected to the House, told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning that there were more efficient ways to reach constituents than in-person town halls, according to two sources in the room.
The chairman, Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., compared the moment to 2017, when a series of GOP town halls made headlines after angry attendees confronted lawmakers.
The committee's communications director, Will Kiley, said in a post on X that Hudson "supports members reaching and helping as many of our constituents as possible, using technology makes this a heck of lot easier."
"Chairman Hudson opposes attention seeking Move On and Indivisible activists hijacking these events," he added.
Later Tuesday, Hudson told reporters that "in-person town halls are no longer effective because Democrat activists are threatening democracy by disrupting the actual communication at town halls."
Progressive groups have previously pushed for their supporters to attend town halls, but it is unclear whether those initiatives influenced the attendees who raised issues with the lawmakers to join the events.
Separately, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Tuesday that House Republicans were encouraging members to “communicate directly with their constituents” in telephone town halls and small groups rather than open forums.
“They’re professional protesters,” Johnson said, though there is not evidence to back up that claim. “So, why would we give them a forum to do that right now? The best thing that our members can do is communicate directly, frequently, consistently with their constituents, and there are other avenues to do it.”
Hudson also claimed without evidence that the disruptions were by paid protesters. His and Johnson's cautions against in-person town halls are just the latest warnings by top Republican leaders about participating in the events, which give constituents the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns.
NBC News previously reported that House GOP leaders have urged lawmakers to stop engaging in town halls, according to a GOP aide. Party leaders have also suggested that lawmakers instead participate in tele-town halls or vet attendees, according to GOP sources.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., faced strong criticism from attendees at a town hall at a Kansas hospital last weekend who were angry with the Department of Government Efficiency.
In videos obtained by NBC News, Marshall argued that DOGE employees had been vetted, prompting boos and jeers from the crowd. Later, Marshall argued that the audience has been "fed so much information," prompting another outburst from the attendees.
Shortly before the end of the town hall, one attendee criticized the job cuts, including the firing of veterans. Sweeping federal worker cuts have affected veterans, who comprise about 30% of the federal workforce, according to publicly available data.
Marshall then left the town hall, citing other obligations. As he left, attendees booed and yelled that he had not completed the full hour he said he would stay.
Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, also faced criticism at a Saturday town hall. A video posted to X by the Collin County GOP showed attendees booing Self and chanting, "Vote you out." Collin County GOP attributed the scene to Democrats, but the party of the attendees is unclear.
Democrats criticized Republicans' cautions against in-person town halls.
“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 said in a statement.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin took aim at Marshall's town hall as well, saying in a weekend statement that "it comes as no surprise that Republicans like Roger Marshall are hiding from their own constituents, because Americans are rightfully furious about what's happening in Washington right now."
President Donald Trump has also weighed in on the town halls, claiming in a Monday post to his social media site, Truth Social, that people were being paid to cause trouble, although there is no evidence to suggest that.
Marshall later reposted Trump's comment, writing, "can confirm."
