State of the Union: Illinois lawmakers’ guests, and those who are boycotting

Lawmakers are gathering in Washington, D.C. for the annual State of the Union address, but many Illinois Congressmen are not attending.

That group includes Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who announced her decision not to go to the speech on Monday.

Joining Duckworth in boycotting the address will be Reps. Sean Casten, Jan Schakowsky, Mike Quigley, Eric Sorensen and Delia Ramirez.

Here is a list of lawmakers who are attending, and who their guests will be.

Senator Dick Durbin

“Tereza Lee is one of the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who make our nation better and was my inspiration for writing the Dream Act in 2001.

“She will also be my guest for the 2026 State of the Union to show President Trump that we will never give up on Dreamers, no matter how much he tries to abandon them.”

Rep. Nikki Budzinski

Budzinski will be accompanied by Laura Petty, a constituent from Alton whose family was impacted by rising healthcare costs.

“I am honored to bring Laura as my guest to highlight the impact of Republican healthcare cuts on working families in my district. Laura and her husband Rick reached out to my office last Fall to share the difficult decisions their family would have to make if Congress let the ACA tax credits expire. Since the expiration, they saw their premiums rise by more than $500 a month. This means tapping into their savings and living with fear that a single medical emergency could bankrupt them,” she said in a press release.

Rep. Bill Foster

Foster will be accompanied by Suzanne Hoban, who operates the Family Health Partnership Clinic, which provides healthcare to uninsured adults in McHenry County.

“Last year, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress enacted the largest cuts to health care in American history, sending costs skyrocketing and increasing the number of uninsured people in Illinois by an estimated 528,000 by 2034. In the face of these cuts, the Family Health Partnership Clinic’s work is more important than ever. We must lift up leaders like Suzanne who ensure our communities have access to the affordable, high-quality health care they deserve when Washington falls short,” he said in a statement.

Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García

García invited Marimar Martinez, who was shot five times in Chicago by a Customs and Border Protection agent in October.

“After a Border Patrol agent brutally shot Marimar and bragged about it, the Trump administration wrongly called her a ‘domestic terrorist,’ García said in a statement. “Even after all charges were dropped, they continue to smear her name. This is unacceptable. I believe her personal story, as someone who has been harmed by this administration’s violent immigration enforcement, should be widely shared with the public, the media, and Members of Congress.”

Rep. Jonathan Jackson

Jackson will invite Pastor Sandy Gillespie, who has fought against the Trump administration’s cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi

Krishnamoorthi invited “Jaime,” a UIC student whose father was detained for four days at Broadview’s ICE facility, then was “coerced” into signing a voluntary departure form.

“Donald Trump can try to rewrite his record tonight, but communities across America are living with the consequences of militarized immigration operations that have terrorized families and left Americans dead,” he said in a statement. “I’m bringing Jaime, a UIC student from my district, to the State of the Union because what happened to his father is part of a broader pattern of detainees being held in inhumane conditions, coerced into signing away their rights, and denied due process. Armed federal agents are carrying out operations in our neighborhoods without lawful restraint or accountability. I will continue working to end the Trump Administration’s abuses, restore accountability, and fight for an immigration system that actually lives up to American values.”

Rep. Brad Schneider

Schneider announced he would invite Rick Woldenburg to the address. His company, Learning Resources, was one of the companies that sued the Trump administration over their use of tariffs.

“Rick Woldenberg is just one of thousands of American business owners whose companies, small and large, have been severely affected by President Trump’s illegal, chaotic, and harmful tariffs over the past year,” Schneider said in a statement. “Trump’s capricious tariff taxes have seriously threatened the survival of businesses like Rick’s, and in doing so threatened the livelihood of the millions of Americans employed by small and mid-sized businesses across the country. Compounding the job insecurity created, working families suffered higher costs at the cash register as businesses adapted to the President’s tariff taxes. Rick’s presence at the State of the Union on February 24th will send a clear message to the Trump Administration: when misguided and harmful policies hurt American businesses and drive-up costs for families, patriotic Americans will fight back.” 

Rep. Lauren Underwood

According to WBEZ, Underwood will be inviting Pastor Jennifer Amy-Dressler of Open Table United Church of Christ in Ottawa.

Not Attending:

Senator Tammy Duckworth

Duckworth announced that she had invited Jeremy Schumacher to the address. He is a forester with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and he saw his family’s healthcare premiums increase by $11,000 after Affordable Care Act subsidies lapsed.

Duckworth herself will not be attending the speech.

“I’m proud to have Jeremy join me in Washington to share his story and the reality of life for so many middle-class families as Donald Trump spouts his lies about all he’s done to bring prices down while Americans can see them continuing to skyrocket,” she siad. “That’s why I won’t be attending the President’s State of the Union Address—I’m not interested in hearing another campaign rally full of lies.”

President Donald Trump slammed the Supreme Court after its 6-3 opinion invalidated most of his administration’s sweeping tariffs, vowing to find alternative legal paths.

Rep. Sean Casten

Casten announced that he would not be attending the address on Monday.

“My respect for the office of the President of the United States cannot abide the disrespect that Donald Trump shows to that office every day. As such, while I will watch the State of the Union elsewhere, I will not attend in person, as I am not interested in being used as a prop for his theatrics,” he said in a statement.

Rep. Mike Quigley

Quigley announced that he will join Indivisible Barrington’s virtual town hall instead of attending the State of the Union address.

“The state of the union is unstable. Trump’s poor decisions have left Americans divided and uncertain about their futures. He has driven up costs through tariffs, hiked premiums for health insurance, and deployed masked federal agents to kidnap and disappear innocent people,” he said in a statement. “Trump was elected based on his promises to help struggling Americans, but he’s spent the past year focused on his pet projects. Instead of listening to Trump drone on about how ‘great’ he is, I’m going to join Indivisible Barrington for a virtual town hall. I’m proud to spend this time with my constituents, talking with them about how to restore the American dream and save our democracy.”

Rep. Delia Ramirez

Ramirez plans to attend MoveOn’s “People’s State of the Union” on the National Mall. She is one of the scheduled speakers at the event, joining multiple other members of Congress at the event.

“I will not sit there with Trump trying to gaslight us and spread lies,” she said in a social media post. “I will be standing at the People’s State of the Union, clear that the power of the people is stronger than the weapons they would yield against us.”

Rep. Jan Schakowsky

Schakowsky, who also did not attend a special Trump address to Congress last year, said she would not attend the State of the Union.

“I cannot, in good conscience, sit in that House chamber on Tuesday night and pretend everything is normal while families across my district are living in constant fear of this administration and fighting every day just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads,” she said in a statement. “I have heard the worry and frustration in my constituents’ voices. My office has been flooded with calls asking me to skip this speech and take a stand. Families are terrified by the cruel and abusive tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Seniors are scared for their Social Security and Medicare. Parents worry about their children’s future. Working people are getting squeezed while billionaires rake in more wealth. This is not normal, and it cannot be ignored.

Rep. Eric Sorensen

Sorensen said he will not be attending the speech.

“Because I already know the state of our union – families across Illinois are hurting. Neighbors are afraid of ICE violence. Farmers are going bankrupt,” he said. “Costs are too high, and this administration is failing to deliver an economy that works for us in the middle.”

Amid outrage over the shooting death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, a large group of Democratic senators are against a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. Rose Schmidt reports.

Awaiting Confirmation:

Rep. Mike Bost  

Bost plans to attend the address, but has not yet announced who his guest will be for the event.

Rep. Danny Davis

Davis was asked by reporters during an event Monday if he would attend the State of the Union but did not reveal a decision.

Rep. Robin Kelly

NBC Chicago has emailed Kelly’s Congressional office, but has not heard back as of Tuesday morning.

Rep. Darin LaHood

LaHood plans to attend the State of the Union, but his guest has not been announced.

Rep. Mary Miller

Miller plans to attend the State of the Union address and was the speaker pro tempore in the House chambers on Tuesday ahead of the speech. Her guest has not yet been announced.