WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is encouraging Republican lawmakers to skip town halls that have been filled with protesters decrying the Trump administration’s slashing of federal government, echoing the president’s claims that the demonstration’s are fueled by professional protesters.

Some of the meetings have turned into angry confrontations over Trump's moves to fire federal workers and defund government programs.

WASHINGTON—Top House Republicans are urging GOP lawmakers to stop holding in-person town halls, a warning that comes after viral confrontations with constituents and Democratic activists over government layoffs and feared Medicaid cuts.