House Democrats are planning to wage protests during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress next week.
Trump’s speech will likely include remarks about a Department of Homeland Security shutdown after immigration agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, per The Hill.
The White House and Democrats have been locked in an impasse over reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
Some Democrats are planning to make a quieter stand by skipping the high-profile event. Others are prepared to walk out midspeech. Others still want to bring guests to underscore their arguments about the real-world impact of Trump’s policies.
“The only question for me is which of his disgusting lines prompts me to get up and leave, because at some point I will,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told Axios.
Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) told The Hill via text message that he’s “thinking” about protesting during Trump’s speech, though he didn’t share specifics on what exactly he’ll do.
“I don’t have details to share but this President is not above [the] law, his massive corruption, unconstitutional actions, his insults to our allies and despicable acts at Epstein’s island must be protested,” he said.
Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) said in an emailed statement she will be bringing one of her constituents, “who is a small business owner of a nonprofit daycare and advocate for the Affordable Care Act,” as her guest.
“With the address likely to be divisive, I believe it’s important to have a guest in the room who has the pulse of what the American people really care about: affordable childcare and healthcare for all,” she said.
A spokesperson for Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.) said she views the State of the Union as “an opportunity to share the stories of those impacted by the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans’ actions over the past year.”
“She will be bringing a guest who can speak to how their disastrous policies have made it harder for him and his family to make ends meet as they face an active health care crisis,” the spokesperson said.
The president’s annual State of the Union address to Congress is an opportunity that minority parties have historically taken advantage of in ways both loud and quiet. And it’s sometimes resulted in disagreements over how to protest.
Last year, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) stood up during the speech to claim the president had no mandate, raising his walking cane in Trump’s direction.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) responded ordering the sergeant-at-arms to “restore order” by removing Green from the chamber. The House later censured him in a largely party-line vote.
