A Democratic revolt ahead of President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday has started to take shape as two more senators announced they would join other Democrats on Capitol Hill to snub the speech.
That’s according to a new report in Axios, which detailed the internal struggle building among congressional Democrats on how to best deal with Trump’s first big address to Congress of his second term.
The report comes as Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) announced Monday that she won’t attend Tuesday’s joint address.
“The state of the union is that the President is spitting in the face of the law,” Murphy, a member of Senate Democratic leadership, told her X followers. “He is letting an unelected billionaire fire cancer researchers and wreck federal agencies like the Social Security Administration at will.”
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Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Don Beyer (D-VA) are also all reportedly planning on staying away from the House chamber as Trump delivers his speech. They are all part of a growing faction of Democrats planning a boycott of the Tuesday event as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) made clear he wants to see a strong Democratic presence.
“The decision to attend the Joint Session is a personal one and we understand that members will come to different conclusions,” Jeffries wrote in a letter to House Democrats. “However, it is important to have a strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber. The House as an institution belongs to the American people, and as their representatives we will not be run off the block or bullied."
Democratic lawmakers have been encouraged by party leaders to attend the speech armed with people affected by DOGE and Trump’s federal spending freeze, according to Axios.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) meanwhile warned Democrats to "respect" Trump ahead of Tuesday's joint session of Congress.
