House Republicans on recess face angry constituents at local town halls – CBS News
With the House in recess from April 11 to April 20, many representatives have returned to their respective districts to hold town halls and hear the voices of local constituents.
However, these constituents have come armed with lists of complaints, hoping that their representatives will take their thoughts and opinions into account when they return to the Capitol.
Since the beginning of the recess, several House GOP members have faced crowds of angry, vocal constituents at these town hall meetings. Below are a few examples, as reported by AP, of House Republicans who have faced town hall goers described as boisterous, heated and critical:
_____
MESA, Ariz. U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs was met with applause and boos at the Arizona Republicans first town hall meeting since taking office in January.
Biggs addressed topics such as health care and climate change during his town hall in Mesa Tuesday, which was attended by approximately 600 people. Some attendees said there was not enough time for everyones questions.
Play Video
Republican lawmakers are getting grilled by constituents at town halls across the country. CBS News' Nancy Cordes reports on the vocal Trump oppo...
Constituents from Biggs 5th Congressional District in southeastern metro Phoenix had been asking Biggs to hold the meeting.
In February, police were called to Biggs office in Mesa during a rally hosted by a group of protesters who said the representative did not make himself available to his voters.
Boos erupted from the crowd, filled with liberal and conservative constituents, when Biggs said he was skeptical of scientists who believe in human-caused global warming after reading reports from both sides.
_____
TROY, Ohio An Ohio town hall for the Republican who succeeded former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner in Congress got heated as a small but vocal group reacted to his comments on issues from the Environmental Protection Agency to Planned Parenthood.
The protesters were eventually forced to leave after about an hour of vocal opposition to Rep. Warren Davidson.
The Dayton Daily News reports that the protest group was chanting we the people as they left the room Tuesday night in Troy, about 68 miles (109 kilometers) north of Cincinnati. Although protesters voiced their disapproval, the majority of the 250-seat town hall was supportive of Davidson, with many wearing Trump stickers.
Davidson won a special election in the western Ohio district seat after Boehner resigned from the House in 2015.
_____
DENVER It was one of the most exclusive tickets in town: Only 800 were made available, and those lucky enough to score one had to show photo ID at the gate, where they were issued a wristband and a number. No signs bigger than a sheet of notebook paper were allowed, so as not to obscure anyones view.
The rules werent for a rock concert but for a town hall meeting Wednesday evening between Republican Rep. Mike Coffman and his suburban Denver constituents.
Town halls have become a risky proposition for GOP members of Congress since President Donald Trumps election. Liberal groups and constituents angry about the Trump agenda have flooded public meetings, asking their representatives tough questions, chanting, heckling them and even shouting them down in skirmishes that have made for embarrassing online video.
Play Video
Many members of Congress are facing heated questions from constituents at town hall meetings in their districts. More than 2,000 people showed up...
On Monday, for example, South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, who became infamous for yelling You lie! at President Barack Obama during a speech to Congress in 2009, was himself confronted at a town hall by constituents chanting, You lie!
As a result, some Republicans arent holding town halls. And some of those who are going ahead with such events are taking steps to keep things from getting out of control.
_____
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn faced tough questions and jeers during his first town hall meeting of the year in Colorado Springs.
The Gazette reports that more than 140 people packed into a room at a police substation for Wednesdays raucous meeting with the Republican lawmaker, including dozens of anti-Trump activists. At least 40 people waited outside, unable to fit in the room.
Whenever Lamborn referred to Obamacare, some in the crowd would shout back its official name Affordable Care Act or ACA.
Lamborn said long distance work was still being done by members of Congress on health care during the current recess.
After the meeting, Lamborn said he enjoyed it, calling it democracy in action. He is holding meetings in Canon City and Cripple Creek on Thursday.
_____
FLANDERS, N.J. New Jersey Republican Rep. Leonard Lance faced skeptical and boisterous voters Wednesday night who said they would be voting him out of office when he held his first town hall since the GOP effort to replace the Affordable Care Act failed.
Lance met with hundreds of constituents in his northern New Jersey district at Mount Olive High School in Flanders. It was his third town hall since Republican President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January.
The event came while lawmakers are on their Easter and Passover recess, with Trumps approval ratings flagging and after the presidents health care legislation fell apart last month thanks in part to Republicans like Lance who said they opposed it.
Unlike the previous events where protesters carried signs and held makeshift rallies outside the event, Wednesdays town hall had fewer people and placards, though police blocked people from taking them inside the auditorium.
Lance, who was first elected in 2008, was booed loudly when he said he supported blocking federal funding for abortion. He was also booed after he told voters President Barack Obama should have tried to work with Congress more on regulations, which led to an outburst from the audience that got Lances attention.
_____
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. An Oklahoma congressman canceled one of several planned town hall meetings in his district, citing safety concerns as his reason for not meeting with voters, who have been venting at Republican officials at such events in recent months.
U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin planned a stop Tuesday night at a high school in Tahlequah, about 145 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. But the three-term GOP congressman, who has been shouted down at recent town hall meetings, canceled the event shortly before the start.
In a statement, Mullin mentioned an escalation of protesters at recent town halls throughout the country and said he needs to provide a safe environment for all attendees. Mullin has planned 26 town halls in his district during Congress recess.
Read more from the original source:
House Republicans on recess face angry constituents at local town halls - CBS News
- Tensions over Epstein files complicate Republican plan to vote on cuts bill - The Guardian - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Jill Biden aide invokes Fifth to decline testimony in Republican investigation - AP News - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- 2004 to 2024, Part Two: When Each State Was at its Most Republican - Center For Politics - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Republican Scott Jensen to run for governor again in 2026, says state budgeting has been 'irresponsible' - 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- What's in the Republican bill cutting $9 billion from public broadcasting and foreign aid - yourvalley.net - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- They took it to the next level: Emmer breaks down the Republican crypto rebellion - Semafor - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Whats in the Republican bill cutting $9 billion from public broadcasting and foreign aid - WOWK 13 News - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Republican Tax Bill Is a Losing Deal for Gamblers - The New York Times - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Mike Johnson Reacts to Republican Blowback Over Jeffrey Epstein - Newsweek - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- JD Vance urges Republican voters to 'talk to your friends' about the 'big, beautiful bill' - NBC News - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Key Senate Republican thinks deal in the offing over FBI HQ location dispute - Politico - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Georgia's Raffensperger calls for return of donations after Republican donor accused of Ponzi scheme - Colorado Newsline - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Three Republican senators break with Trump to vote against codifying DOGE spending cuts - The Independent - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Moore taps Carroll County Republican, Army vet to head veterans department - Maryland Matters - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Key Senate Republican to meet with Trump on funding clawback request - Politico - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoes Republican-backed bill aimed at banning certain books in schools - WMUR - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- The Republican senators to watch on cutting PBS, NPR and foreign aid funding - Axios - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- This small House Republican caucus held US stablecoin bill hostage until Trump cracked the whip - CryptoSlate - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Why more of Hobbs Arizona agency director nominees won Republican approval this year - KJZZ - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Homeland Security's Noem says in talks with five Republican-led states to build detention site - Reuters - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- 'Danger of Musks potential third party is [splitting] Republican votes: Tanden - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Herridge to resign as West Virginia Republican chairman, focus on cabinet role - News and Sentinel - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Rep. Brendan Boyle: You need four Republican Senators to stand up and have the courage to vote, no - MSN - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- The Frederick County Republican Central Committee wants to appoint candidates for the upcoming municipal elections in Frederick. But the filing... - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Raabe: On Monday, Remember The Greenwich Republican Party IS the National Republican Party - Greenwich Free Press - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- 'Sacred Covenant' How the Paxton divorce rocks the bruising Republican Senate primary in Texas - Fox News - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Wisconsin businessman and Navy SEAL Bill Berrien launches Republican campaign for governor - WPR - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Redrawing Texas: the Republican plan to stack the decks for the midterms - The Guardian - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- After recent vetoes, it's time for DeWine to restore Republican Party | Letters - Yahoo News - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Exclusive | The Republican Strategy to Win Without Trump on the Ballot - WSJ - The Wall Street Journal - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- The Big Bad Republican Bill Wasnt Regressive Enough for the Anti-Tax Crusaders - Mother Jones - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Can the National Education Association Win Over Republican Members? - Education Week - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Texas keeps getting slammed by extreme weather catastrophes, but its Republican rulers remain contemptuous of climate science - Northwest Progressive... - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Exclusive | The Republican Strategy to Win Without Trump on the Ballot - WSJ - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Another Republican enters race to succeed Andy Barr in U.S. House - Kentucky Lantern - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Republican tax and spending cut megabill expected to take billions from Oregon Health Plan - Oregon Capital Chronicle - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Up Close with Bill Ritter: Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa on race for NYC mayor; Democrats try to unite behind Zohran Mamdani - ABC7 New York - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Exclusive / Moreno set to replace Tillis on Republican whip team - Semafor - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Chairman of Randall County Republican Party arrested for election fraud - KVII - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Republican Backs Push to Repeal Part of Trump Bill Days After Voting For It - Newsweek - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Republican The View Co-Host Admits to Crying Backstage at Least Half a Dozen Times - The Daily Beast - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Wisconsin Republican compares himself to Trump as he launches his bid for governor - AP News - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Opinion | Jeff Flake: The Republican Fever Must Break - The New York Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Two women accuse Republican state lawmaker of making unwanted sexual advances. He denies the allegations. - The Colorado Sun - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- 1988: A year that echoes in Georgia Republican politics to this day - SaportaReport - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Manassas Republican Party Headquarters vandalized over July 4 weekend - Washington Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Republican House leader Windschitl announces campaign for Congress in western Iowa - thegazette.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Public Safety Should Trump Politics; The High Cost of Republican Posturing - Progress Texas - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Georgia Republican says grandchildren are safe after being at Texas summer camp that flooded - The Hill - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Two women accuse Republican State Representative of inappropriate sexual behavior - KUSA.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- New York Times columnist admits that Trump is a 'normie Republican' - Fox News - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- E&E News: Energy winners and losers in the Republican megabill - POLITICO Pro - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Completely beatable: Dems go on offensive over unpopular Republican budget - MSNBC News - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Rep. Mark Green resigns from Congress, leaving Speaker Johnson with an even narrower Republican majority in the House - CNBC - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- A swing-district Republican on why he supports Trump's sweeping policy bill : Here & Now Anytime - NPR - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Trumps climate research cuts are unpopular, even with Republican voters - Yale Climate Connections - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Energy winners and losers in the Republican megabill - E&E News by POLITICO - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Tax Cuts Now, Benefit Cuts Later: The Timeline in the Republican Megabill - The New York Times - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Opinion | An Immoral and Cruel Republican Bill - The New York Times - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- No One Loves the Bill (Almost) Every Republican Voted For - The Atlantic - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Truth to Power: A Republican Senator Stands Up for Medicaid and His Constituents; Then Announces Retirement - Georgetown University - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- 9 Questions About the Republican Megabill, Answered - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- This Pennsylvania Republican withstood pressure on the megabill. Heres why. - Politico - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Wisconsin Republican Deletes Post That Appeared To Celebrate Millions Of People Losing Health Insurance - Yahoo - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican Bill Puts Nation on New, More Perilous Fiscal Path - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Trump says the Republican mega bill will eliminate taxes on Social Security. It does not - PBS - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican Bill Will Raise Costs, Poverty, and Hunger, Take Health Coverage Away From Millions - Center on Budget and Policy Priorities - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican voters on Trumps sweeping tax-and-spend legislation: This bill is a no-brainer! - The Guardian - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- These are the Republican votes to watch on the Trump megabill - The Hill - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Trump Meets With House Republican Holdouts to Press for Policy Bill - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- How the Republican spending bill super-charges immigration enforcement - Reuters - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- House Should Reject Senate Republican Bill That Is Even Worse Than Already Harmful House Version in Important Ways - Center on Budget and Policy... - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Trump Tax Bill Hits Republican Resistance in House Ahead of Vote - Bloomberg - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- The Republican senators who voted against Trump's "big, beautiful bill" - Axios - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- By the Numbers: Senate Republican Leaderships Reconciliation Bill Takes Food Assistance Away From Millions of People - Center on Budget and Policy... - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Which Republican senators voted against Trump's agenda bill and why - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- State of Colorado says Republican budget bill will cut billions in federal funding for Medicaid in the state - CBS News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Republican Senator Tells House Not To Vote on Bill She Just Voted For - Newsweek - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Here Are the Republican Senators Who May Revolt on Trumps Bill - The New York Times - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Opinion | The Republican Policy Bill Will Cripple Obamacare - The New York Times - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]