House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) called on Democrats to have a “strong, determined, dignified” presence in President Trump's speech to a joint Congress session on Tuesday.
“I understand that the decision to participate in the joint session is personal and that members will reach different conclusions,” Jeffries wrote in a letter sent Monday to “Dear Colleague.”
“But it's important to have a strong, determined, dignified democratic presence in the room,” the Democratic leader continued. “The home as an institution belongs to Americans, and as representatives we don't run away from the block or get bullied.”
Jeffries said he and other members of the Democratic leadership will be present in the speeches, “it will make it clear that there are strong opposition parties ready, willing and able to balance the administration's overcheck.”
The president's speech to Congress is often an opportunity for minorities to demonstrate resistance – by boycotting the speech completely, wearing symbolic outfits, or booing at strategic moments of the speech.
This year, Democrats plan a more measured approach, and want to highlight the massive layoffs of federal workers by Elon Musk and the so-called government efficiency (DOGE).
Sitting in the audience are lawmakers and many former federal workers Democrats bring as guests. This is a strategy that represents the latest part of a broader campaign to highlight the real-world impact of Trump's early policy moves on Americans living outside the Beltway.
In his letter, Jeffries was called to Democrats to “continue to raise the stories of everyday Americans who are harmed in real time by House Republicans and the Trump administration.”
