THE White House has revealed the guest list for the upcoming State of the Union Address by President Joe Biden.
Special guests invited to look upon events from the viewing box with First Lady Jill Biden will symbolize issues at the heart of the Biden administration.
Figures from both parties can also invite guests of their own to highlight issues of importance to their policies.
Reproductive rights, gun violence, healthcare costs, and major ongoing geopolitical events are set to be included in the address this evening at 9 pm ET.
The First Lady will be accompanied by 20 guests after it was confirmed earlier this week that Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, will not be able to attend.
“I can confirm that she was indeed invited to the State of the Union. She is no longer able to attend,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.
Here is what we know about some of the guests invited to the 2024 State of the Union address.
KATE COX
Kate Cox from Dallas, Texas, is a mother of two who was forced to leave her state to seek an abortion due to the collapse of Roe v. Wade.
Cox, who had a life-threatening pregnancy, sued the state of Texas when she was 20 weeks pregnant after the state Supreme Court’s ruling forced her to go the New Mexico to have the procedure.
Both Cox and her husband Justin will be in attendance in Washington and they hope to “bring awareness” and “change the minds of people” about reproductive rights.
Speaking to CNN, Cox called the invite to the address an “incredible honor” and that she is grateful to be able to “shine a light on this important issue.”
JAZMIN CAZARES
The 18-year-old sister of a victim of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, will be a guest of the First Lady.
Cazares’ 9-year-old sister Jackie Cazares was killed in the shooting that saw 19 students and two teachers killed, as well as 17 injured in 2022.
Cazares has since been vocal about gun violence and has supported the implementation of tighter background checks and laws.
In 2023, she was honored by the First Lady during the “Girls Leading Change” celebration at the White House, which was the first of its kind.
ELIZABETH CARR
The decisions of Alabama’s state Supreme Court regarding frozen embryos will be under the spotlight this evening with America’s first IVF baby.
Carr was born 42 years ago after her mother conceived her through invitro fertilization and she hoped to encourage lawmakers to consider their rulings surrounding such procedures.
After it was ruled last month by Alabama’s state Supreme Court that frozen embryos should be considered children, Carr said, “It was very clear…that the science of IVF was not truly understood.”
Carr will be the guest of Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia who hopes to protect IVF access.
“My life gives people hope,” Carr told the Wall Street Journal.
“If my mother had not been told by her doctor about IVF, I would not be here.”
LATORYA BEASLEY
In addition to Carr, Latorya Beasley from Birmingham, Alabama, has also been invited by the First Lady after she and her husband were forced to halt their IVF embryo transfer due to the Supreme Court decision.
“Her recent experience is yet another example of how the overturning of Roe v. Wade has disrupted access to reproductive health care for women and families across the country,” The White House states.
FAMILIES OF HAMAS VICTIMS
House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and other members of Congress are hosting 17 relatives of Americans who were killed or taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Gaza war.
The Families of the American Hostages in Gaza coalition has confirmed that some of the attendees are related to the six hostages still held captive and some are related to the two hostages who were killed.
French-Israeli Mia Schem, 21, was kidnapped during the Nova music festival and was freed 50 days later. She will be one of the attendees.
INTIMAA SALAMA
Tensions are set to rise at this evening’s address with other Democrats inviting guests who highlight the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
US Representative Cori Bush has invited Intimaa Salama, a Palestinian dentist and a Saint Louis University graduate as her guest of honor.
Over 150 days, 35 members of Salama’s family have been killed in attacks launched by the Israel Defence Forces in Gaza.
“The ongoing violence in Gaza is an international crisis and it directly impacts people from St. Louis to the Middle East and everywhere in between,” Bush said in a press release.
“The United States is fueling this war, but we could just as easily stop it,” Bush said.
“It is my hope that by uplifting Intimaa’s experiences and by giving her the opportunity to share her story directly on the national and local stage, we can illustrate and humanize for President Biden and our community members the devastating harm that fueling this violence and bloodshed has on all of us.”
THE PARENTS OF EVAN GERSHKOVICH
Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who has been jailed in Russia on spying charges since March 2023 without evidence, has been a key focus of the US government since his detention.
Gerschkovich’s parents will attend the address this evening as guests of Speaker Johnson.
“By hosting Evan’s parents, Congress will shine a spotlight on the unjust detention of their son,” Johnson said in a statement.
“The United States must always stand for freedom of the press around the world, especially in places like Russia, where it is under assault. The Administration must bring Evan home.”
NYPD POLICE OFFICERS AND BORDER PATROL
Two New York police officers, Zunxu Tian and Ben Kurian, are the guests of Speaker Johnson after they took on a group of men outside a migrant shelter in Times Square in January.
The Republican party hopes to highlight the issues of the US border that sees millions enter the country illegally each year and will be a key election issue.
Meanwhile, Republican congressional leader Elise Stefanik has invited Brandon Budlong, a US Border Patrol officer and union leader.
He has been an officer on the border for 16 years and he has praised his host Stefanik “for her unwavering commitment to securing our border.”
Stefanik has previously accused President Biden of “ignoring his border crisis” and causing “an assault on our national security and American safety.”
