# House Republicans advised to stop holding in-person town halls after DOGE complaints

WASHINGTON – House Republicans are being instructed to stop conducting in-person town halls as lawmakers face angry crowds complaining about cuts implemented under President Donald Trump's efforts to overhaul the federal government.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Rich Hudson, R-N.C., advised GOP lawmakers during a closed-door meeting near the Capitol Tuesday.

After the meeting, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that the people who have filled up recent town hall meetings across the country are "professional protesters" so it is "wise" not to "play into that." Trump has similarly said the attendees are "<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114099009721475492" target="_blank">paid troublemakers</a>."

Liberal groups such as  have promoted congressional town halls, but there is no evidence that attendees are being paid.

Johnson suggested tele-town halls would be a good alternative for members to hear from constituents.

House lawmakers were home in their districts last week, and many held town halls, a common way for members to hear from the public.

Several of those town halls – including in deeply Republican districts – went viral as residents harangued lawmakers over the cuts.

The DOGE effort, led by tech billionaire , has fired around 100,000 federal employees over Trump's first six weeks in office and stripped down federal agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development.

In an Atlanta suburb last week, Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., was booed by hundreds of attendees at a town hall who demanded he stand up to the efforts. One attendee asked why Republicans are taking a "radical and extremist and sloppy approach" to cutting the federal workforce, according to reporting by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, including around 1,000 workers fired at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Oregon, GOP Rep. Cliff Bentz faced crowds of hundreds of concerned voters in multiple town halls who raised concerns about the cuts. "I'm all for fiscal responsibility and downsizing the government," one attendee said, who identified herself as an independent voter. "You can do it in a way that is humane and treats people with dignity."

Texas Republican Rep. Keith Self similarly faced jeers and heckling at a town hall on March 1. The local GOP posted on X that "many Democrats showed up only to cause disruptions."

By Gannett
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