Each member of Congress is allowed to invite one person to attend President Joe Biden’s annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, opening the door to symbolic, honorary, and sometimes controversial guests.
In a speech before a joint session of Congress, Biden is expected to speak on the economy, the war in Ukraine, and the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis, Tennessee, police.
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But a lot will be said by the attendees he and members of Congress bring along. Each guest will have a reserved seat in the House gallery as lawmakers of both chambers, all nine justices of the Supreme Court, and Cabinet officials meet for the 9 p.m. address.
More names will be announced in the days to come, but here are the most notable congressional guests so far.
Nichols’s parents
The mother and stepfather of Nichols will attend as guests of Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford (D-NV). Nichols, 29, was severely beaten on Jan. 7 by five officers during a traffic stop, and he died from his injuries three days later. The release of body camera footage sparked a wave of protests.
His death has renewed a national conversation about police reform, and Horsford said he wanted RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’s mother, and Rodney Wells, his stepfather, to hear how the president and Congress plan to address the problems surrounding his death.
“I have invited the Nichols family as guests of the Congressional Black Caucus, so they will be there on that day to hear from the president and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to hear how we will finally take action to keep our communities safe,” Horsford told MSNBC.
Monterey Park shooting hero Brandon Tsay
Brandon Tsay is credited with saving lives after he wrestled a weapon away from an active shooter during an attack in Monterey Park, California, on Jan. 21. The shooter, Huu Can Tran, 72, is accused of killing 11 people and wounding nine others before killing himself.
“When I got the courage, I lunged at him with both my hands, grabbed the weapon, and we had a struggle,” Tsay said of his reaction when he realized the gunman’s intent. “We struggled into the lobby, trying to get this gun away from each other. He was hitting me across the face, bashing the back of my head. I was trying to use my elbows to separate the gun away from him.”
Both Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and Biden himself extended invitations to Tsay, and the president also called to thank him personally for his actions. Tsay, 26, was given a medal of courage from the Alhambra Police Department.
‘Good Samaritan’ who helped Rep. Greg Steube
Darrell Woodie, who called 911 after witnessing Rep. Greg Steube’s (R-FL) fall off a ladder, will attend the State of the Union as his guest.
Steube said Woodie acted as the “epitome of a Good Samaritan” for securing prompt medical attention after he fell 25 feet and suffered “a fractured pelvis, a punctured lung, and several torn ligaments in my neck.”
While I will still be in Sarasota recovering from my injuries, it is my privilege to share that Mr. Darrell Woodie will be attending next week’s State of the Union as my official guest!
Mr. Woodie called 911 after witnessing my accident and is the epitome of a Good Samaritan! pic.twitter.com/497EHapKlO
— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) January 30, 2023
Enes Kanter Freedom
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) invited former NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom, who made a name for himself speaking out against alleged human rights abuses in China and his native Turkey.
“In light of everything, with what’s happening in China, here’s a man who stood up for freedom, lost his right to continue to play basketball, but he continues to fight for freedom,” McCarthy told reporters Monday evening.
Freedom legally changed his name to show appreciation for his adopted country. He would wear custom basketball shoes during games to highlight issues such as China’s treatment of the Uygher Muslim minority and Nike’s alleged use of sweatshops to make its products. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan placed a $500,000 bounty on his head, and Freedom has been a frequent attendee of meeting with leaders on Capitol Hill.
Police officer injured during the Capitol riot
Former Sgt. Aquilino Gonell will attend the State of the Union as the guest of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). He publicly resigned from the force last year, in large part due to the trauma he suffered during the attack.
“On January 6, 2021, he put his own life on the line as he courageously protected the Capitol, the Congress, and the Constitution from a deadly siege,” Pelosi said in a statement. “After enduring unimaginable brutality and trauma, he has continued his selfless service — speaking out to ensure that we all remember the truth of the insurrection.”
Social Security recipient Eustene Corbin
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is bringing a New York woman who relies on Social Security for her retirement. The invitation ties into Democrats’ claims that Republicans are trying to reduce funding for entitlement programs in their debt ceiling deal. McCarthy has said this spending cut is off the table.
“Social Security is a sacred trust between the government and its people, that after a lifetime of hard work and paying into a system, you will be able to retire with dignity and comfort,” Jeffries said in a statement. “It is my honor to invite Ms. Eustene Corbin to the State of the Union to hear how under President Joe Biden’s leadership, Democrats will always defend Social Security and Medicare.”
Louisiana parish coroner
Attending as Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s (R-LA) guest will be Jefferson Parish Coroner Dr. Gerald “Gerry” Cvitanovich. His attendance is meant to highlight the overdose deaths in the country due to fentanyl, which Scalise blames on the border policies of the Biden administration.
“As the elected coroner for Jefferson Parish, a community of 433,000 people where I live, Dr. Cvitanovich has seen firsthand the disastrous results of the Biden Administration’s open-border immigration policy,” Scalise said. “Today, fentanyl is the leading cause of unnatural deaths in Jefferson Parish, taking roughly 500 lives in 2021 and 2022. Eleven years ago, there were only two fentanyl deaths in Jefferson Parish. Every day in America, more than 150 people are dying from synthetic opioid poisoning due to President Biden’s open southern border.”
Pro-abortion rights activist Dr. Cheryl Hamlin
For the first State of the Union since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) invited Dr. Cheryl Hamlin “to highlight the Democrats’ commitment to reproductive freedom and stopping the MAGA Majority’s assault on women’s health and rights.”
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Other guests announced so far are Montgomery County Sheriff Jeffrey T. Smith, invited by Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and After the Fire USA CEO Jennifer Gray Thompson, invited by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA).
Stefanik said her choice of guest reflects law enforcement “fighting against the crises caused by Joe Biden’s failed policies”; Thompson’s is to honor those assisting with wildfire damage.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-TX) extended an invitation to former Afghanistan Ambassador to the United States Roya Rahmani in order to highlight the botched withdrawal from the country in August 2021.
