Members of Congress are announcing their plans ahead of Tuesday’s State of the Union address from President Donald Trump.
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney (Md.-6th) said they will not attend.
“Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy,” Van Hollen said on social media. “This cannot be business as usual.”
Van Hollen will, instead, join MoveOn.org’s counter protest, “People’s State of the Union” rally in Washington scheduled for 8:30 p.m. that same evening.
McClain Delaney announced she also plans to join the rally.
“I have determined that my presence at the State of the Union would not meaningfully serve my constituents in Maryland’s Sixth District,” McClain Delaney said in a statement. “The President’s destructive and lawless actions over the past year have harmed Marylanders–making life less affordable, undermining food security and their access to healthcare, and devastating family farms and small businesses across our region.”
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md-8th) announced he will attend the State of the Union, and bring family members of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the women who publicly alleged abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and called for accountability. Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, plan to watch the speech from the gallery above the House Floor, according to a statement.
“Virginia Roberts Giuffre bravely pursued justice for the victims and accountability for the perpetrators of the horrific crimes committed against girls and young women by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and other upper-class abusers who took part in the pair’s vicious trafficking ring,” Raskin said in a statement. “I’m grateful Sky and Amanda Roberts accepted our offer to honor Virginia’s memory and lead a chorus of voices from across America and the world demanding truth and justice, the opposite of what Donald Trump and Pam Bondi have been working for in their shocking coverup.”
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic Party’s response to the State of the Union.
Featured photo courtesy April McClain Delaney on X (formerly known as Twitter)
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