Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) will receive Presidential Citizens Medal from President Joe Biden in a ceremony on Thursday.
Cheney is one of 20 people to receive the honor, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors. Cheney was picked for the honor due to her bipartisan work as a legislator, The New York Times reported.
The recipients have “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens,” the White House said in a statement on Thursday.
Many of this year’s selections include lawmakers the president has known for decades, including from his home state of Delaware.
This also affords Biden the opportunity to honor those who have worked for causes close to Biden.
Cheney lost her political career when she spoke out against President-elect Donald Trump. In its statement, the White House praised Cheney for her work with people across the aisle.
“Throughout two decades in public service, including as a congresswoman for Wyoming and vice chair of the committee on the Jan. 6 attack, Liz Cheney has raised her voice — and reached across the aisle — to defend our nation and the ideals we stand for: Freedom. Dignity. And decency,” per the White House statement. “Her integrity and intrepidness remind us all what is possible if we work together.”
Other recipients include Ted Kaufman, 85, and Christopher J. Dodd, 80 — two close personal advisers to Biden, who he has known for decades.
Dodd, a former Democratic senator from Connecticut, helped Biden choose a running made in the 2020 election.
Biden once called Dodd his “single best friend” in Congress.
Kaufman stood with the Biden family in 1972 when Biden was first elected to the Senate. He served as Biden’s chief of staff in the Senate.
Many on X, formerly Twitter, did not agree with Biden picking Cheney for the honor:
