Congress is on recess for the next two week, and members are en route to their districts, where many will hold town halls for the first time since the sequestration.
Such meetings are a regular ritual, giving lawmakers a chance to hear from constituents, explain their positions, and maybe try to salvage the legislative body's average 12 percent approval rating.
This time, lawmakers will likely have to address a number of hot-button debates, from budgeting and gun control to changing opinions on gay marriage. It's also their first break since sequestration kicked in at the beginning of the month.
While the national debate has often centered around White House tours, the cuts may carry more weight at the local level, and members of both parties are expecting to face some complaints about the effects.
As National Journal notes, many are preparing to explain their own efforts to avert the cuts, or to blame the opposition. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) says while sequestration wasn't his first choice, most in his state support curbing government spending. Others are trying to get in front of the issue, like Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Penn.), who's planning a "protest rally" against the effects of sequestration.
HuffPost Readers: Are any of your senators or representatives hosting town halls? HuffPost is looking for any noteworthy comments or discussion, especially around sequestration and gun control. If you're going, we encourage you to record the events. We'd love if you could send video or audio recordings -- or anything else notable -- to us here. We will keep your personal information private.
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