Congress dodging town hall meetings over Memorial Day break

Lawmakers from both parties are largely avoiding any town hall meetings with constituents during their 11-day recess that starts Friday, after Republicans in particular have had run-ins with rowdy voters protesting the Trump administration and efforts in Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare.

According to the Town Hall Project, only two Republicans are slated to hold town halls during the recess — Darrell Issa of California on June 3 and Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin on June 4. Over the same period, only four Democratic lawmakers are holding similar meetings, but Republicans in particular have been more likely targets of angry voters.

While the vast majority of members are avoiding traditional town halls, they are using other ways to stay in touch with constituents. In some cases, that includes holding tele-town hall meetings, which have become more popular since Trump took office.

"There's lots of ways to stay in touch with your constituents," said Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, who chairs the National Republican Campaign Committee. He said it's a "false narrative" to say that not doing live town halls means lawmakers are not staying in touch with their constituents.

"In my district, it takes four hours to get from one side to the other. It's way more convenient to be on the phone," Stivers said. He said he usually gets between 7,000 and 9,000 people on those calls.