A member of House GOP leadership is calling on his party’s lawmakers not to hold town halls with constituents, warning that the viral protests at in-person public meetings with constituents will get worse.
Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the House GOP’s campaign arm, gave the directive at a closed-door party meeting on Tuesday, multiple sources in attendance told the Daily Beast.
After telling the lawmakers in the room to put their phones down, Hudson offered a blunt solution to the problem of angry constituents complaining about President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s cuts to the federal government.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I want to give you some advice on the best way to do town halls,” Hudson said, according to two attendees. “Don’t do town halls.”
After initial laughter, Hudson pointed to headlines about progressive groups organizing to disrupt GOP events, alleging that activists were often responsible for the pushback lawmakers have faced at home.
“These groups are sending folks to town halls to create a scene,” Hudson said, according to one lawmaker present. “There are alternative ways to do this using technology—ways to have an actual dialogue with your constituents. It’s tele-town halls.” He also suggested Facebook Live as an option.
Outspoken pro-MAGA Rep. Lauren Boebert supported Hudson’s stance, telling the room that she and her children had been confronted outside her home in Colorado, sources said.
Comparing the situation to blowback against Trump’s first presidency, Hudson warned that the tensions would likely escalate. “Those of you who were here in 2017 know the protests were really bad,” he said, adding that demonstrations would intensify as committees begin passing legislation, according to attendees.
While Hudson’s order is not binding—he can’t actually force Republicans to stop holding town halls—it is a significant escalation coming from a top party official.
The spate of embarrassing viral confrontations was kicked off two weeks ago, when Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick faced citizens incensed over the cuts to federal jobs and programs.
Last week, news broke that Republican leadership was advising against town halls. But now, after yet another embarrassing debacle, the tone is firmer.
On Saturday, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall fled a town hall event after disparaging the audience as “rude.” It was all caught on video.
“You know, this is one of the rudest audiences I’ve ever had,” he told the crowd, which cheered sarcastically in response.
The clip was viewed nearly 5 million times on social media.
Afterward, Marshall took to X to allege that the event was sabotaged by “paid troublemakers,” without offering any evidence to support the claim.
In a Tuesday press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed Marshall’s claim as he explained to reporters why Republican leadership was turning against town halls.
“We’ve seen this movie before. George Soros-funded groups and others literally pay protesters,” he said. He added that telephone town halls and “small subgroups” are a better alternative.
While left-wing advocacy groups have raised awareness around when and where Republican town halls are happening and have encouraged constituents to voice their displeasure, there is no evidence that protesters at the events are being paid to be there.
Democrats have been quick to criticize Republicans for their reticence to keep holding large, face-to-face constituent meetings.
“If you’re going to have the audacity to raise prices and rip away health care from millions of Americans, you should at least have the courage to face your constituents. House Republicans are cowards,” CJ Warnke, a spokesperson for the Democrats’ House Majority PAC, told the Daily Beast.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday pushed back on the notion that protesters are being paid to attend town halls.
“We don’t need to send paid protesters into your town hall meetings. The American people are with us,” he told reporters. “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. The American people are with us.”
DOGE’s push to downsize the federal government has sparked criticism, even among some Republican lawmakers. Concerns center on how the department-dismantling and job cuts are being handled. Many are worried that the process has been haphazard and lacking compassion.
Not all Republicans who received Hudson’s order on Tuesday were on board with eliminating town halls, according to Politico.
California Rep. Jay Obernolte, who faced protesters at a constituent meeting in recent weeks, told the outlet: “I’m a believer in town halls.”
