Rather than boycotting President Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress, some Democrats invited former federal workers to speak Tuesday as a way to protest the massive shootings and cuts in funding that defined Trump's first month.
Elon Musk's government efficiency treatment of federal workers has been energizing components across the country in recent weeks, overloading telephone lines for many lawmakers, and showing up at City Hall to express their frustration.
“What Democrats are showing our guests is that they are Americans who are hurt by the actions of Elon Musk and Donald Trump,” said Brad Schneider, president of the Illinois Democrat. Schneider said he said other Democrats, including Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, would not be present, and decided to see the impact his administration had on people by saying the president “didn't get a free pass.”
When asked for comment, White House spokesman Harrison Fields said Democrats are “exploiting the American people for political points.”
Schneider's guest, Adam Mulvey, is a 20-year Army veteran, who ended his role as an emergency management specialist at the Federal Health Center in North Chicago in February, serving veterans and active staff.
Also invited to the address is Gabriel da Aratri, a Marine Corps veteran and former Connecticut Internal Revenue Service Project Manager. D'Alatri said his firing letter showed that he was fired because of “performance issues” despite having never received a review of a bad performance.
“It was a shock to me and my family,” said Daratri, who will be presenting Trump's speech as a guest for Connecticut Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney. As IRS Project Manager, D'Alatri managed facilities in the Connecticut department and coordinated reasonable accommodation requests for disabled employees. D'Alatri said he voted for Trump in November and was too early to determine whether he regretted his choice.
Courtney said his constituent stories are examples of Trump administration cuts being “indiscriminate and heartless.”
D'Alatri said he hopes by sharing his story and attending the address, the Trump administration will sign an executive order to rehire all veterans who have been fired in large numbers on probation.
“I like to think veterans are non-political,” Daratri said. “I didn't expect it to happen so that we could throw it to the side like that.”
Pennsylvania Democrat Chrissy Houlahan was a member of Valley Forge National Park architect Jessica Malarik Fair, who was tasked with restoring George Washington's office in preparation for next year's 250th anniversary.
“We hope they understand that we are real people and that we are real people, not just numbers that we can attack intentionally arbitrarily,” Hulahan said.
Malalique Fair, who lost her job after laying off a probation employee last month, hopes to be another face to humanize the federal workforce for Americans.
“I'm proud of the work I did there. I'm not corrupt or lazy,” she said.
Here's other things you need to know:
-
Europe is unified behind Ukraine: Declaring “We are at a crossroads in history,” British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer said on Sunday that European countries will gather and gather “ambitious coalitions” defending Ukraine from Russia. After hosting a meeting of 18 European leaders, including Ukrainian President Voldy Mie Zelensky, Stage said that “numbers” countries he didn't name would join Britain and France and showed that troops could be deployed in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow. The summit took on a new urgency after Zelensky met and enthusiastically with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the oval office on Friday. Read more>
-
Cyber ​​extension to Russia: Defense Secretary Pete Hegses ordered the Pentagon to halt offensive cyber manipulation against Russia. This is a move that has not been publicly explained, but may be part of a broader effort to attract Russia into consultations with Ukraine. The order was issued before the explosion of Ukrainian President Volodymea Zelensky and President Trump at the Oval Office on Friday. Read more >
-
Rubio sends weapons to Israel: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called “emergency authorities” to bypass Congress and send $4 billion in weapons to Israel. In announcing the decision on Saturday, Rubio refused to explain why the Trump administration is using emergency powers, saying it will “continue to use all available tools to meet America's long-standing commitment to Israel's security, including measures to combat security threats.” Read more>
