U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson urged fellow Republican lawmakers on Tuesday to avoid public town-hall meetings with voters after some events turned into angry confrontations over President Donald Trump's moves to fire federal workers and defund government programs.

Several prominent Republican officeholders are cautioning GOP lawmakers to avoid in-person town halls due to the potential for paid activists hijacking them.

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.