The chair of the National Republican Campaign Committee told GOP lawmakers Tuesday to avoid in-person town halls and the negative publicity of attendees castigating them for supporting President Donald Trump's steep government cuts.
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., delivered the message in a closed-door meeting, according to three sources who spoke to Politico.
Republicans confirmed reports of the new policy in a press conference after the meeting.
"There are people who do this as a profession, they're professional protesters," Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. He said he thought it was "wise" not to "play into that" and suggested that lawmakers resort to remote town hall meetings to avoid the heat.
While Republicans have dismissed the confrontations as the work of liberal activists, videos show unmistakeable anger from constituents in deep-red areas, including the district of Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., where a speaker asked the congressman why the GOP was taking a "radical and extremist and sloppy approach" to cutting funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As the town hall meeting continued, McCormick was interrupted several times by attendees telling him that they're "pissed" and urging him not to "bend over." At one point, several people can be heard chanting "shame!"
GOP leaders are worried that incidents like this could go viral and inflict damage on the party and individual members' standing ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The backlash appears to be manifesting much sooner than did a similar dynamic in 2009, when Democrats and Republicans perceived as moderate faced a gauntlet of tense town hall meetings that presaged a Tea Party wave.
One lawmaker apparently complained that protesters have been picketing at her house and targeting her kid, one source told the Wall Street Journal's Olivia Beavers.
Democrats lashed out over the new avoidance tactic, accusing them of being afraid of their own voters.
"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,” House Majority PAC communications director CJ Warnke told Politico.
Hudson's directive, of course, is not binding, and there is nothing stopping lawmakers from continuing to hold in-person events. Do so at your own peril, Hudson reportedly warned — it'll only get worse.
