On Tuesday night, President Trump will give the first joint address to Congress since his reelection. “TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!,” he said on Truth Social Monday morning.
Trump’s speech comes as his administration, in league with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, continues to make significant cuts to federal agencies in the name of eliminating excess spending, resulting in mass layoffs in various government sectors. With more Americans voicing their displeasure in town halls and polls, Democrats are looking to capitalize on the momentum and keep those reductions top of mind for voters.
Several Democratic members of Congress revealed they have invited federal workers who recently lost their jobs to attend the president’s address as their personal guests. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Monday that he would be joined by Alissa Ellman, a disabled Army veteran who was fired from her position at the Buffalo VA. “Firing her, firing veterans, and slashing thousands from the VA workforce is outrageous and should be reversed. This is not how you treat our veterans — it’s not just unacceptable, it’s un-American,” he said in a statement.
Axios reported last week that Schumer was privately urging congressional Democrats to invite people who have been personally impacted by the administration’s cuts. A similar request went out from the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, per CNN. Members in both chambers heeded the call. Representative Joe Courtney of Connecticut will be joined by Gabriel D’Alatri, a Marine veteran who was laid off from the IRS. Representative Ritchie Torres of New York invited Nancy Bolan, a constituent who worked for USAID for six years. Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota invited Kate Severson, a former park ranger who worked at the state’s Voyageurs National Park, writing on social media, “Musk and Trump should have to face the hardworking Park Rangers they sacked.”
Some Democrats, however, are choosing to skip Tuesday’s speech entirely, an action reminiscent of past boycotts of Trump’s first-term congressional addresses. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said Sunday that he’s opting out of Trump’s speech and will be holding a virtual town hall on Facebook instead, urging his constituents to submit questions ahead of time.
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut announced his intention to boycott in an CNN interview Sunday, saying he believes the president’s speech will be a “MAGA pep rally.”
“I think Donald Trump is going to spew a series of lies about his alignment with Russia, about what he’s trying to do to allow Elon Musk to essentially monetize the American government to enrich Musk and his billionaire crowd. And I’m just not going to be a part of that,” Murphy said.
Since Trump has taken office, Musk’s DOGE has touted billions of dollars in savings for the American taxpayer by eliminating grants, contracts, and even real-estate leases. A recent New York Times report, however, alleges its successes have been inflated with the organization removing some of its claimed savings from its own website. While the cuts’ impacts are still being determined, recent polling suggests the American public is mixed on the changes. An NPR–PBS News–Marist poll released Monday found that 55 percent of U.S. residents believed the extensive cuts in federal staffing and funding would do more harm than good, while 45 percent said they thought the opposite.
