Notable guests will be in attendance Thursday for President Biden’s State of the Union address.
Lawmakers and officials have been rolling out their guest lists for the annual speech, which is an opportunity for Biden to outline his policy priorities for the upcoming year. By inviting guests with specific backgrounds or stories, lawmakers will attempt to make their points on what issues are most important to them for the upcoming year.
Biden will speak to both chambers of Congress at 9 p.m. EST Thursday.
Here are some of the people who will be in attendance that night.
Women who fled states for abortion services
At least two women who fled their states to receive abortion services have been invited as State of the Union guests as Biden pushes reproductive health care as a significant campaign issue.
First lady Jill Biden invited Kate Cox as one of her guests. Cox sued for the right to terminate a nonviable pregnancy in Texas and later left the state to receive abortion care. Cox, a Dallas-area resident, was more than 10 weeks pregnant with a fetus that was diagnosed with a chromosomal anomaly that leads to miscarriage, stillbirth or death of the infant.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) invited Kayla Smith, a central Washington resident, as one of her guests. According to Murray’s office, Smith learned at 19-weeks pregnant that the fetus “had serious and fatal fetal anomalies” while living in Idaho in 2022.
Under Idaho’s ban, she could not receive an abortion as the law only allows exceptions to prevent the death of the mother, despite Smith’s concerns for her own health. She then traveled to Seattle to receive abortion care and has since moved her family to the state of Washington.
“We felt strongly about raising our girls in a state where they would have bodily autonomy. I am honored to have been given the opportunity to sit alongside Senator Murray at the State of the Union address and continue to share not only my story, but the story of so many other women who have unfortunately been forced to flee their home state for abortion care,” Smith said.
Indiana doctor who provided abortion care to 10-year-old girl
Caitlin Bernard, the doctor who came under fire for providing a 10-year-old child an abortion after Roe v. Wade was struck down, will be attending as a guest of Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.).
Bernard made national headlines in 2022 after she revealed she provided abortion services to a 10-year-old girl who was raped and then denied service in Ohio.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s parents
The parents of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will be attending as Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) guests on Thursday.
Johnson said he is “honored” to host the parents, saying the invitation highlights Russia’s “unjust” detention of Gershkovich. He has been held by Russia since last March on espionage charges, which he, his family and the Biden administration have all denied. The U.S. considers him wrongfully detained.
“By hosting Evan’s parents, Congress will shine a spotlight on the unjust detention of their son. The United States must always stand for freedom of the press around the world, especially in places like Russia, where it is under assault,” Johnson said Tuesday. “The Administration must bring Evan home.”
First person born via in-vitro fertilization
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) will bring Elizabeth Carr — the first person to be born via in-vitro fertilization in the U.S. — as his State of the Union guest.
“I am honored and humbled to be able to attend the State of the Union address with Senator Kaine as a representative of how far IVF technology has come in this country—and not just as the first IVF baby in this country, but also as someone who understands deeply just how many people in-vitro has helped build the family of their dreams,” Carr, born in 1981, said in a statement.
This comes after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled last month that frozen embryos are people and therefore subject to wrongful death of a minor legislation should something happen to them. This has since prompted multiple in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics to shut down operations.
Families of the hostages being held in Gaza
Seventeen relatives of American hostages who were taken by militant group Hamas into Gaza last year will be attending as guests of lawmakers.
The Families of the American Hostages in Gaza coalition announced that many of the families will be in attendance as guests of members of Congress, including Johnson, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and many others.
Johnson will be bringing Orna and Daniel Neutra, the mother and brother of Omer Neutra, as two of his guests. Jeffries will be bringing Andrea Weinstein, who is the sister of Judy Weinstein Haggai and Gad Haggai. The family of Weinstein Haggai announced in December she was killed by Hamas after being taken by the militant group and her husband, Gad Haggai, is believed to have been killed by Hamas on Oct. 7.
North Carolina Sens. Thom Tills (R ) and Ted Budd (R ) will be bringing the niece and sister of Keith Siegel, who remains held hostage in Gaza. His wife, Aviva Siegel, was also held hostage but released during a temporary cease-fire last year.
Reproductive care and IVF advocates
Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) will be bringing Amanda Zurawski of Texas as her guest. Clark’s office said Zurawski could not receive the abortion care she needed due to state law despite her being at risk for a life-threatening condition.
It was not until Zurawski went into septic shock that she was able to receive the care she needed, Clark said in a statement.
Jodi Hicks, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, will be attending as a guest of Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), the House Democratic Caucus Chairman announced Tuesday.
The president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All, Mini Timmaraju, will be going as guest of Jeffries.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) will be bringing a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist, Dr. Amanda Adeleye, as her guest as the senator pushes for legislation to protect access to IVF.
The president and CEO of Resolve: The National Infertility Association, Barbara Collura, was invited as Rep. Gerry Connolly’s (D-Va.) guest.
An advocate for radiation victims
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) will be bringing Dawn Chapman, an advocate for victims of radiation. He described her as “a tireless advocate for radiation victims in MO & around the country” in his post on X, formerly Twitter.
Hawley has pushed for legislation to compensate victims of radioactive waste in his state and throughout the country. He said Monday the Senate will vote this week on a standalone measure to expand and reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).
Rapper Fat Joe
Rapper Fat Joe will be the guest of Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) to highlight a push for price transparency within the health-care system.
Fat Joe, who was born Joseph Cartagena, met with lawmakers last year on behalf of Power to the Patients, a nonprofit that advocates for health-care price transparency. Barragán said in a statement that the rapper’s work on price transparency of the health-care system “is a vital way to ensure that American families aren’t blindsided by huge bills.”
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler
Congressional Labor Caucus Co-Chair Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) invited AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler as his guest for the address Thursday night.
The nation’s top union organization has already endorsed Biden in November’s election. Schuler said in a statement that Biden’s actions “have resulted in launching another industrial revolution with transformational policies for workers and communities that will last for generations.”
Montana veteran exposed to toxins
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) will bring Fred Hamilton, a veteran exposed to toxins, as his guest Thursday night to highlight those helped by the Honoring our Promises to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act enacted in 2022.
“Montana veterans are the fabric that make our nation the very best in the world, so it’s my honor to bring Fred Hamilton, a top-notch Montana vet exposed to toxins in Vietnam and other countries, to the State of the Union address,” Tester said.
NYPD officers attacked in Times Square
Johnson and Reps. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) will jointly host New York Police Department officer Zunxu Tian and Lt. Ben Kurian. These two officers were allegedly attacked by a group of people near Times Square in January.
“I’m honored to have Lt. Kurian accompany me to the State of the Union to not only show support for New York City’s finest, but to also bring attention to the need for the Biden Administration to end its dangerous border policies that have allowed millions of unvetted individuals to enter our country illegally,” Malliotakis said in a statement.
Conservative activists Riley Gaines
Johnson also invited Riley Gaines, a conservative activist who has campaigned against policies that allow transgender women and girls to compete on female sports teams.
Gaines — who has testified before Congress several times, including at a December hearing in which she criticized the Biden administration’s proposed updates to Title IX — said in a statement that she’s confident Johnson “will fight for women and common sense as he’s already done.”
Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), who introduced the House’s second transgender athlete ban in December, invited Gaines to last year’s State of the Union address.
The Speaker also extended an invitation to Chloe Cole, a California activist who advocates against gender-affirming health care for minors. Cole, who lived as a transgender boy for years, decided to detransition as a teenager and return to her female identity.
Border Patrol agent
Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.), chair of the House Republican Conference, invited Brandon Budlong, a Border Patrol agent and president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 2724.
Budlong, who has served in the Border Patrol for 16 years, said he is grateful for Stefanik’s “unwavering commitment to securing our border and safeguarding our country’s future.”
Family member of Palestinians killed in Gaza
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) will be bringing Intimaa Salama, a dentist and master’s student at St. Louis University, to the address.
Her office said that 35 members of Salama’s family, including her grandmother and two of her brothers and their families, were killed in the ongoing war in Gaza.
“Thirty-five of Dr. Salama’s family members have been killed in the last over 150 days. This is an incalculable loss, one that she is not shouldering alone. In St. Louis and around the country, there are thousands of families who have lost their loved ones in the atrocities against Palestinian and Israeli civilians,” Bush said in a statement. “The United States is fueling this war, but we could just as easily stop it.”
The parents of Laken Riley
Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) revealed on X he invited the parents of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old student who was found dead on the University of Georgia campus last month.
He said the parents declined the invitation, but that the seat reserved for his guest will “remain vacant to honor Laken and all American victims of illegal alien crime.” The suspect arrested in connection to Riley’s death is Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan citizen who authorities say crossed into the U.S. unlawfully in 2022.
Father of service member killed in Afghanistan
Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) invited the father of one of the 13 service members who died during an attack while the U.S. was withdrawing from Afghanistan in 2021.
Steve Nikoui, the father of Marine Lance Corporal Kareem Nikoui, will be attending as Mast’s guest.
“For the last three years, Joe Biden has done nothing but tried to deflect blame as terrorists have taken hold of Afghanistan, repressed women, and killed those who supported America,” Mast said. “I will continue to call out President Biden to remind him of the damage he has done to national security and American families.”
Cuban opposition leader Rosa María Payá
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) is bringing activist and Cuban opposition leader Rosa María Payá as his guest. Payá is the daughter of political activist Oswaldo Payá, who died in a car crash under suspicious circumstances.
Gimenez is bringing Payá as his guest in an apparent jab to two members of the Progressive Caucus who traveled to Cuba last month.
“Recently, colleagues of mine on the fringe traveled to Havana to meet with officials of the Castro regime to serve as apologists and lobby on their behalf. I am proud to stand with Rosa María to continue to loudly denounce the evils of the Cuban regime. It is my honor to represent our community and fight for the freedoms we cherish,” he said.
Former Army Captain who left military over vaccine policy
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) will be bringing former U.S. Army Captain and Green Beret John Frankman as his guest.
Frankman was one of the service members who voluntarily separated from the Army over “hardships he and other unvaccinated service members faced based on discriminatory and punitive Department of Defense policy.” He has since advocated against the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate within the Armed Forces, according to Gaetz’s office.
The Pentagon had rescinded its COVID-19 mandate last year.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) will be attending as a guest of Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) to highlight Women’s History Month and state partnerships with the federal government on large projects, Politico reported.
Hochul’s office confirmed Politico’s report to The Hill.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R ) will be the guest of Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), the senator announced Wednesday.
“I’m delighted to welcome @GovBillLee to Washington this week to join me at the State of the Union address. Governor Lee’s strong leadership has maintained Tennessee’s economic success while ensuring that it remains the best state in which to live, work, and raise a family,” Hagerty wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Yulia Navalnaya, widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was invited to the State of the Union but is unable to attend, according to the White House.
Biden had met Navalnaya and her daughter, Dasha, in San Francisco last month shortly after the death of Navalny. Russian officials announced Navalny’s death Feb. 16, explaining that Putin’s imprisoned top rival felt unwell after a walk and lost consciousness.
In the weeks since his death, his widow has vowed to keep up Navalny’s work. His funeral was held last week.
Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska
Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska, was invited to attend the State of the Union, but was unable to come, according to the White House.
This comes as Congress has yet to reach an agreement on passing more aid for Ukraine amid its war with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had visited Washington in December to call for more aid, but no package has been approved yet.
Brother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
Gabriel Shipton, Julian Assange’s brother, will attend the State of the Union Address as a guest of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
Assange has been indicted in the U.S. on espionage charges. He was arrested in London in April 2019 on a U.S. warrant and has since fought in British court to avoid being extradited to the U.S. to face the charges.
Many advocacy groups and lawmakers have called on the U.S. to drop the charges brought against him.
Nathaniel Weixel and Brooke Migdon contributed reporting.
Updated on March 7 at 3:16 p.m.