By Daniel Jackson | djackson@repub.com
For the first time since they began their tenures as members of Congress, U.S. Reps. Richard E. Neal and James P. McGovern said they would be absent from the House Chamber when the president delivers the State of the Union address.
Rather, the two Democrats representing Western Massachusetts plan to watch the speeches — Neal, D-Springfield, from his office across Independence Avenue from the U.S. Capitol and McGovern, D-Worcester, with staff so he can respond through social media.
They will be some of the dozens of lawmakers — many of them Democrats — expected to be absent when President Donald Trump is scheduled to begin his address to Congress Tuesday. Almost three dozen lawmakers are expected to participate in a “People’s State of the Union” organized by progressive grassroots group MoveOn blocks away on the National Mall, including Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Boston.
A spokesperson for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she planned to attend Trump’s address in person. A fundraising email sent by the Democratic National Committee earlier in the day Tuesday also said Warren intended to hear the speech directly.
Tone of the address has changed
Neal said Tuesday afternoon Trump’s address to Congress in 2025 was “loaded with disinformation,” and he said he expects Trump on Tuesday to paint an optimistic view of his administration’s efforts to impose tariffs.
These are tariffs that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled as illegal last week.
“I don’t want to be part of this, I think, deliberate effort to distort reality,” Neal said.
Furthermore, the tenor of the state of the union address has changed over the years, said Neal, who has spent 37 years in Congress.
In 2009, a Republican lawmaker shouted “you lie!” when then-President Barack Obama was addressing a joint session of Congress. In the years since, there has been booing and hissing the speeches of President Joe Biden, according to Neal.
Last year, the Sergeant at Arms escorted U.S. Rep. Al Green, a Democrat representing a district in Texas, from the chamber after he stood up and interrupted Trump’s speech.
“It used to be a very, very dignified event,” Neal said. “It’s more partisan and it’s descended into more rancor.”
Neal said he expects lawmakers from both parties will be absent from Tuesday’s speech.
McGovern said in a social media post Monday he has attended every State of the Union address from when he first entered Congress 29 years ago — until this year.
“I’d rather stick needles in my eyeballs,” the Democrat from Worcester said in a video posted to his Facebook page. “This man is a pathological liar, and I’m not gonna dignify this speech by sitting there after he tells one lie after another.”
McGovern will instead watch the address remotely with his staff, responding to the president’s remarks on social media.
While some lawmakers are planning to attend events at the same time as Trump’s speech, Neal said for his part he wanted to hear the address directly, rather than waiting to see how the press reported it.
Neal said he is particularly interested in hearing what Trump says about tariffs, especially since the Supreme Court justices will be there.
“I’m assuming that there’ll be fireworks,” Neal said.
Neal helped orchestrate an amicus brief that members of Congress submitted to the Supreme Court as it considered the question of Trump’s tariffs.
Lawmakers still have guests at the address
McGovern’s spokesperson, Matthew Bonaccorsi, said the representative gave his guest ticket to a Jeffrey Epstein survivor. More than a dozen lawmakers selected guests who are victims of the convicted sex offender and financier, according to the New York Times.
Neal said the CEO of the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company requested to be his guest for Tuesday’s speech. The nonprofit corporation, based in Ludlow, helps support municipal utilities in the state through financing, risk management and the like.
Tom Barry, MMWEC’s CEO, said in a statement he would be in the room to “represent the many Massachusetts public power constituents, ratepayers, and stakeholders” at a time when there are increased concerns about energy affordability.
For her part, Warren said she selected as her guest Geraldine Gabeau, CEO of Immigrant Family Services Institute, a Boston-based organization that is working to protect immigrant rights and support their communities.
Gabeau, in a statement, thanked Warren for her work on the temporary protected status for Haitians, an immigration status the Trump administration is attempting to revoke. The matter is working its way through the courts.
“Dr. Gabeau’s leadership shows us what it means to wake up every day and stand up for what’s right,” Warren said in a statement.
Markey said he is bringing his guest — Gladys Vega, president and CEO of the Chelsea-based La Colaborativa, which works with Latino people in that area — to the event on the National Mall, and event where he is scheduled to speak.
“Even before these dark times, Gladys’ crusade inspired us all to understand that the fight for justice and freedom is not a solitary endeavor,” Markey said in a statement. “Gladys Vega is a hero, and I am proud to have her join me in Washington DC to fight for where the real power lies with our country — the people.”
