When Congress is in session, lawmakers don’t have much time to connect with their constituents. So you’d think they’d use this two-week recess to actually show up, listen, and maybe learn something.
But not Republicans.
They’re ghosting their constituents—still. They realize that their voters are furious over the wrecking ball that President Donald Trump and co-president Elon Musk have taken to the federal government, with full GOP support. So rather than facing the backlash, Republicans are ducking for cover.
According to NBC News, Republicans are still taking cues from National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson, who previously advised members to skip in-person town halls.
GOP lawmakers have been receiving an earful from angry voters about everything that Musk and Trump have done, and they probably want to avoid more bad press. But it’s incredibly cowardly.
A source close to Hudson told NBC that he hasn’t mentioned town halls, suggesting that the unofficial “stay quiet” order still stands.
This is welcome news for Democrats, though, who are dominating the recess calendar with public events.
Even in an off year, Democrats are bringing the heat and putting pressure (finally!) on their GOP colleagues. In fact, as Republicans run scared, Democrats say they plan to hold a fresh round of town halls, capitalizing on the backlash to the Trump administration.
Throughout the recess, Democrats will be hosting events in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
“While vulnerable Republicans continue to run scared because they’re voting to raise costs, gut Medicaid, and threaten working families’ livelihoods, we’re going to make sure voters know they don’t have to wait until Election Day to hold them accountable,” Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont are continuing their Fighting Oligarchy tour, pulling in massive crowds. In Salt Lake City, Utah, 20,000 people turned out, and in Los Angeles, 36,000 people attended their largest rally yet.
Meanwhile, only a handful of Republicans have announced plans to meet in person with their constituents: Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa. But even those events are limited, with Donalds and Greene restricting them to residents of their districts.
Republicans may have even more to run from now than they did just weeks ago. The House GOP recently passed a budget that gives tax breaks to the rich while cutting services like Medicaid and food stamps, on which millions of families rely, especially in marginalized communities.
So while Democrats are showing up and speaking out, Republicans are doing what they do best: running scared and hoping no one notices.