WASHINGTON — Members of the Georgia congressional delegation will reflect a divided nation as President Donald Trump delivers his first major speech since taking office roughly six weeks ago before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is chairwoman of the U.S. House DOGE subcommittee created to support Trump’s efforts to slash government spending, said she is “thrilled” Trump will be sharing his vision and celebrating his accomplishments after a little over a month in office.
“We know that he supports us and all the work that we’re trying to get done,” said Greene, R-Rome. “We have a very tight majority in the House, and so the president has been wonderful working with us. I’m just so proud of everything him and his administration has been accomplishing so far.”
But Congresswoman Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, is bringing a guest that reflects Democrats’ anger at Trump’s slash-and-burn approach to reshaping the federal government. Williams’ guest will be Alicia Cleveland, a child care worker from Atlanta who relies on Medicaid for health care for her children.
Cleveland’s youngest daughter is facing a health issue that requires doctor visits and procedures, and Alicia “represents the countless domestic workers who depend on Medicaid as their only access to health care,” Williams’ office said.
Members of Congress often bring guests to presidential speeches to make political points, and the differences in whom they choose can be stark.
Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, said his guest will be Marty Daniel, the CEO of Georgia-based gunmaker Daniel Defense. Daniel testified at a congressional hearing in 2022 after a firearm made by his company was used to kill 19 children and two teachers during a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Missy Jarrott, whose military veteran son died of a fentanyl overdose, will accompany U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simon’s Island. Jarrott, who lives in Savannah, has since become an advocate for veterans and has lobbied for more improvements at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, an Atlanta Democrat, invited Stone Mountain resident Al Lipphardt, who serves as the national commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a nonprofit veterans service and social organization. Ossoff’s office said he chose this guest to highlight the senator’s own efforts to champion veterans in contrast to the Trump Administration’s recent firings of VA employees.
The president has not said much publicly about his speech other than he plans to “tell it like it is.” But he is expected to talk about his administration’s successes reducing crossings at the southern border, the influence he has exerted in conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine and efforts to reduce government spending by pausing contracts and laying off thousands of federal workers.
It is also unclear how many Democrats will attend the speech given their disdain for Trump and his penchant for caustic and controversial remarks. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and others on his senior leadership team will be in the crowd, and in a letter to fellow Democrats he urged them to join him and be on their best behavior.
“The decision to attend the Joint Session is a personal one and we understand that members will come to different conclusions,” he wrote. “However, it is important to have a strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber.”
Because Trump is in the first year of his new term, his remarks tonight are not considered a State of the Union address, although it serves the same purpose.
In recent years, members of the opposing party have interrupted presidents during similar speeches when they found comments unfair or untruthful. Greene shouted “liar” at President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address in 2024, an exchange that drew rebuke from Democrats and applause from conservatives.
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